Lead Me to Paradise
by NilesDaughter
Summary: With nowhere else to go, Kegawa travels to Freeze City, where she meets Kiba and the others, and joins them on their search for Paradise. ToboexOC.
1. A Wolf Named Tsuki

Chapter One: A Wolf Named Tsuki

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 'Wolf's Rain' characters—only the OCs.**

The young blue-eyed gray-and-white wolf watched the train pass by, heading for the nearby dome. She sniffed at the air.

_Nobles_, she thought.

"Tsuki!"

The wolf turned to face the speaker, allowing her human form to show: a tall and lean 15-year-old with amber eyes and shoulder-length black hair. "What, Atsushi?" she asked, irritated.

"We staked out the Nobles' Keep. It's not too hard to get into—there's barely any security," the cocky 25-year-old replied.

"Fine," Tsuki said, waving a dismissive hand.

"So…?"

"We get in, grab supplies, and get out, just like always. Is it really that hard?"

"Okay, okay. You don't need to get your fur in a bunch."

Tsuki growled dangerously.

"All right, all right, I'm going."

Tsuki snorted in disgust. _Humans are so annoying! But especially Atsushi. Why do I put up with him? How can any of the others put up with him? At least they all accept that I'm a wolf…_Tsuki sighed and turned to watch the train tracks once more.

* * *

When night fell, Tsuki led her human raiding party to the dome. They entered through a back entrance and used the shadowy alleys to hide their presence. The Keep lay in the heart of the city and it was, as Atsushi had said, scarcely guarded.

"This should be a piece of cake," Tsuki said, smiling.

"Okay, let's go," she told her raid. "Alpha team, we're grabbing the supplies. Bravo team, you're keeping an eye out for any guards."

The humans nodded. Tsuki led the raid to the Keep, watching for guards. No one was at the back entrance, and the hallways were dark and empty.

Tsuki stopped and sniffed the air. "All right, the storage room is this way. Let's go." She led her team down the hall, but shadows appeared on the wall. Tsuki held up a hand to tell her team to halt, and they all scrambled to press themselves against the wall. Tsuki held her breath as two guards passed by, not taking any notice of them. She peeked around the corner. Empty.

"All right, let's go," she whispered, and led her team to the end of the hall. They turned another corner and came across a wooden door, with a large lock on the handle.

Tsuki snorted. "Like that's going to stop me." She pulled out the knife she kept at her waist and began to pick at the lock. It was only a matter of seconds before she got the lock off and the door open. But the minute she got the door open, an alarm began to blare.

"Shit!" Tsuki cursed. She turned to her raiding party. "Grab as much as you can! Move it, move it, move it!"

The humans nodded and went into the storage room, filling their pockets with supplies, grabbing as many sacks and boxes they could carry. Tsuki darted into the room, grabbing a satchel of first-aid supplies and a few boxes of canned food. She darted back out of the storage room and began to run. Her followers were close at her heels.

They turned the corner, but found their way blocked by a horde of guards.

"Turn back!"

Gunfire echoed behind them as they ran back the way they had come. Tsuki came across a large opening in the wall that revealed a ledge and a mass of pipes leading to some buildings on the opposite side of a 20-story drop. Tsuki looked back, and then at the pipes. It was their only chance.

"Go, go, go!" she ordered, nodding to the pipes. Her party went ahead, running but trying to keep their balance at the same time. Tsuki followed as soon as she saw the last person get up onto the pipes. She found it easy to keep her balance, probably because she was a wolf.

Bullets ricocheted off the pipes, making it more precarious for the humans to cross. The gunfire soon became more accurate, and many fell once they were shot. One of the younger humans, Midori, slipped as a bullet hit the pipe near her feet. The supplies fell, but the girl managed to grab hold of the pipe.

Tsuki abandoned the supplies she had grabbed and jumped forward to help Midori. But with a metallic screech and a terrified scream, the pipe broke and Midori fell to her death. Tsuki stood frozen, her hand still outstretched, disbelieving.

A bullet grazed her thigh, bringing her back to reality. She continued to run the length of the pipes. When she reached the end, she jumped up onto a nearby rooftop, and crouched in the darkness, turning back to look at the Keep. With her senses, she could see the guards were leading the members of her Bravo team to the Keep's prison. She couldn't tell if her entire Alpha team had died, or not.

With a whispered "Sorry", Tsuki turned to leave the dome.

* * *

Tsuki punched the large oak tree in frustration. It had been three days since the failed raid, and _no one _had come back. It was clearly obvious that her entire Bravo team had been captured, and her entire Alpha team had died. And Tsuki had been unable to protect them, just like she had been unable to protect her pack…

"No!" Tsuki growled to herself. "That wasn't my fault!" But she still blamed herself…

Tsuki jumped to her feet and fell into a defensive crouch, baring her teeth as she would while in wolf form.

"Tsuki, relax. It's just me."

Tsuki never thought she'd be so happy to see Atsushi.

She jumped to her feet, and, unable to contain her relief, ran forward and threw her arms around the guy she hated so much—besides the Nobles, of course.

Atsushi seemed completely taken aback; he remained stiff as a board.

Tsuki released him, and took one step back. "I'm sorry," she said. "I've been so worried…I'm just glad to see that _someone _made it out alive."

Atsushi remained silent.

"Is something wrong?"

"No…Well, yes. I regret that the others had to die, but…"

"What are you talking about, Atsushi?"

He didn't reply.

"Atsushi, please. You aren't making any sense." Tsuki _hated _the pleading tone in her voice—it made her sound weak and uncertain—but she had to know what had had happened to the others.

"They were supposed to only fire at you, but they didn't listen…You were the only one who was supposed to die…The others were only supposed to be in the prison for a few days…"

"You sold us out?" Tsuki screeched, her face flushing with anger.

Atsushi nodded.

"But why would you do such a thing?"

"Simple: I hate wolves." As he spoke, Atsushi pulled out a revolver and pointed it at her.

Tsuki backed into the oak tree, playing the part of the helplessly trapped animal. As she did so, her hand inched for the knife at her waist.

"Why do you hate wolves?"

"They killed my wife without mercy."

"But you know I'm not like that."

"Yes, you are! I've seen you kill people, Tsuki!"

"But I've only ever killed Nobles, or people that threatened the others. You know that, Atsushi. I killed to protect them."

"Don't play innocent with me."

"Well, if you think I'm such a cold-blooded murderer, then why have you hung around this whole time? Why haven't you killed me before now?"

"I like to play with the wolves before I kill them—make them suffer."

"Why?"

"So that they can feel the pain they've caused _me_. Ever since that night, I've vowed to kill all wolves, and you're no exception, bitch."

Without warning, Tsuki drew her knife and launched herself at Atsushi. She managed to slash his upper arm before he jumped out of the way. He pivoted sharply and fired his gun, but Tsuki jumped into the tree.

"I'll kill you, wolf!"

Tsuki jumped out of the tree, landing behind Atsushi. She kicked the back of his leg and jumped in front of him, punching him in the stomach.

Atsushi doubled over in pain, but he didn't let go of the gun. Tsuki jumped back into the tree, crouching in the lowermost branches and holding her knife before her. Atsushi straightened, and, snarling, pointed the gun at her.

She jumped down from the tree, letting the wolf dominate her—she extended her claws, bared her teeth, a snarl ripping through her teeth…

Atsushi's eyes widened in horror, then narrowed in hatred. He pulled the trigger. The bullet went through Tsuki's shoulder. In the next moment, her jaws clamped around Atsushi's throat.

Blood spurted in her mouth, hot and metallic. She jerked her head back and jumped back a few paces, watching Atsushi. He stumbled back, but he still stood. He shot her in the leg.

She winced, but growled dangerously low. She jumped at Atsushi, landing on him, and clawing at anything she could reach.

Atsushi kicked her hard in the stomach, somehow managing to send her flying backwards. With a sickening thud, Tsuki's head collided with the oak tree. The wind was knocked out of her, and she fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Her eyes closed unwillingly. The pain…Oh, the pain…

Atsushi watched as Tsuki's breathing became slower, and then stopped altogether. He smiled smugly, before keeling over, dead.


	2. Tsuki No More

Chapter Two: Tsuki No More

**Disclaimer: I don't own the original 'Wolf's Rain' characters—just Tsuki, Tane, Jougen, and any other original characters…**

She opened her eyes slowly, and tried to stand, but her muscles were so sore. When she finally managed to get to her paws, she stretched her legs. As she did so, she noticed that her fur was matted with blood, but the wounds seemed to have healed already. A full moon could work wonders for a wolf.

She looked around, and saw a human lying a few feet away. She could tell from his scent that he was dead. She felt as if she knew who the human was, but she couldn't recall his name. She couldn't even remember if she had been the one to attack him. It looked as if she had, but it could've been another wolf…The presence of her scent contradicted that theory, though…

She just couldn't remember…

Before she knew it, she was running hard. The place by the oak tree didn't feel right to her…It scared her…She had to get away…

* * *

She didn't know how long she had been running, and she didn't know where she was or where she was going. All she knew was that she had to put as much distance between herself and that oak tree. Her surroundings were unclear—all she could see was the white of the blizzard.

She couldn't remember anything—not even her name…And the more she tried to remember, the more it all slipped away…

She kept running, not knowing her destination. She didn't pause to hunt or sleep or think. But the lack of food and sleep eventually caught up to her, and she collapsed in the middle of the blizzard, closing her eyes.

* * *

When she woke up, she heard a crackling fire, and she was warm. She was in her human form, and lying on a puffy couch that had been placed in front of a roaring fireplace.

She lifted her head slightly, and found herself in a small living room furnished with dark-wood furniture and the mantle above the fireplace was crowded with pictures. The entire room smelled strongly of human.

She sat up, but she felt dizzy, and her head was pounding. Talk about a headache!

But she stiffened, and looked behind the couch. There was the entrance of the kitchen, and standing in the doorway was an elderly human woman. She growled softly, out of instinct—the instinct to protect herself.

"It's okay, girl," the woman said kindly, with a small smile. "I won't hurt you. And I know you're a wolf."

She relaxed slightly, and arched an eyebrow. "How do you know I'm a wolf?"

"We know, little one."

She turned towards the source of the voice. It was a silver-haired man, who was sitting in an armchair a little bit behind the right arm of the couch.

"We've seen enough of wolves to know what they look like. And we would never hurt you. You can trust us."

The woman approached her cautiously, but not from fear, more as if she was scared to frighten her with any sudden movement. The woman set a tray down on her lap, which held a steaming bowl of miso soup, and a mug of hot apple cider.

"There. That should warm you up." The woman sat down on the end of the couch where her feet were. "What were you doing out in that blizzard all by yourself, anyway?"

"I—I don't know. I can't remember anything. Not even my name."

It was true. She couldn't remember anything anymore—other than the dead human man by the oak tree.

"Oh, you poor thing!" the woman exclaimed sympathetically.

"No, it's alright…"

"It most certainly is not!"

"Thank you for your hospitality, but as soon as I feel better, I should leave."

"You can't possibly go back out there alone!" the woman insisted, turning to the man. "Jougen, you can't let her go out there!"

"Tane, you know as well as I that one cannot order a wolf about as if it were a common dog."

Her heart warmed towards the two humans. Tane was so kind and compassionate, so much like a mother. And Jougen knew how to respect the wolves, knew they could not be tamed.

Tane sighed, and returned to the kitchen, not bothering to say anything more. Once the old woman had left, she dipped her head respectively towards Jougen, who nodded in return. She looked down at the tray of food, and began to eat.

* * *

She sat on the porch of Jougen's and Tane's house, looking out at the landscape. The couple lived on a small farm on the outskirts of a nearby dome. She liked it there. They didn't treat her like a stupid animal, or a threat. They treated her as an equal.

Slowly, she began to regain her strength, but she still couldn't remember anything. And perhaps that was a good thing. If she had no ties to a pack or another family, then she could stay with Tane and Jougen. She was happy with them. They made her feel safe and welcome, and they were nothing less than loving parents. She _wanted _to stay with them.

So when the time came when her strength had returned, and she felt ready to travel, she hesitated at the front gate of the couple's house. She stood there, her back facing Tane and Jougen, her hand resting on the gate. Surely she could stay with the two of them? After all, she had nowhere else to go. And where else would she find a human so unafraid of wolves?

She turned to face Tane and Jougen, and went running back to them, begging to stay. She didn't have to ask twice. The old couple took her in willingly, with open, loving arms. At last, she was somewhere she could belong…


	3. Gone with a Burning Ball of Fire

Chapter Three: Gone with a Burning Ball of Fire

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Wolf's Rain'.**

It had only been a few months since Tane and Jougen, whom she now called Otousan and Okaasan, respectively, had taken her in and named her Kegawa.

She ran to the farm in wolf-form, using all of her muscles. It felt so good to run, especially after a day of hunting. She hoped that Otousan and Okaasan were home from spending the day at the dome. She didn't really like it when the two of them weren't home. As if she couldn't protect them if they left the safety of the farm without her. She couldn't remember feeling that way before…Then again, what _did _she remember from before she met Otousan and Okaasan?

Kegawa loved living with the two of them. They didn't tie her down—they would let her go off and hunt or bask in the moonlight, let her follow the instincts of the wolf. They provided her with love and a safe place to stay. Okaasan had given her one of her old silver chokers as a gift. Kegawa felt so happy when she was with Otousan and Okaasan. It felt right to be the old couple.

Kegawa continued to run towards the farm, but she suddenly stopped, sniffing the air. She smelled smoke. But it wasn't the fragrant smoke that came from Okaasan's cooking, or the somewhat-harsh smoke of Otousan's pipe, or the fresh smoke from the fireplace. It was the acrid tang of a wild fire, or a burning house.

Kegawa bunched her muscles and took off running.

_Please let it be my imagination! Please, let it be a scent that was carried on the wind from someplace else! Please! Anything but the farm!_ she mentally pleaded.

She bounded up the hill and reached the top, where she froze in horror. It was just as she had feared—the small farm she had come to call home was burning.

"No!" she breathed, the shock making her revert to her human-form. She ran down the hill as fast as she could, towards the house. But as she stood by the fence, she knew there wasn't anything she could do to put out the fire.

It would take too long to get water from the pump to douse the flames. She would just have to wait for the flames to die down on their own, but that would mean she and Otousan and Okaasan wouldn't have a house anymore…

* * *

Kegawa sighed in relief when the rain began to pour. At least that would put out the flames. But what was she going to tell Otousan and Okaasan? Where would the three of them go?

As the pouring rain softened to a drizzle, Kegawa approached what remained of the house, hoping to salvage something, anything. But she soon wished she hadn't gone to investigate.

Kegawa turned over a burnt armchair that was still intact, and revealed a blackened body. Kegawa let out a cry of surprise, dropping the armchair on her foot. She began to jump up and down in pain.

When she finally gathered herself together, Kegawa approached the body. Although the tang of smoke still hung heavily in the air, and the body had been burned beyond recognition, Kegawa recognized Otousan.

She gasped. "Oh, God! They were home already!" She turned, her eyes widening. "Okaasan!" she breathed, struggling to get to where the kitchen used to be. And there, by the entrance of the kitchen, as if she had been trying to get outside, was Okaasan. She was crumpled on the floor, burned to a crisp.

Kegawa fell to her knees, the tears streaming from her eyes like waterfalls. "No! This can't be happening! Okaasan? Why? Why did this happen?"

She jumped to her feet, filled to the brim with anger and grief. Her emotionally unstable state was enough to force her into wolf-form. She began to run around the wreckage, tearing up anything she could get her claws on. Then she stopped dead, howling to the sky, howling a lament of grief. She couldn't believe that this was happening.

Okaasan and Otousan, the ones who had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go, the ones who had loved her and treated her as a daughter, were dead. She would _kill_ whoever had done this…

Kegawa stopped howling abruptly as all of her memories came flooding back…

She wasn't Kegawa, but Tsuki, a wolf who had lost her pack when she had turned twelve. For the three years afterwards, she led a band of humans in stealing from the Nobles. They all looked to her as their leader, because she was brave and fierce, but at the same time, protective of them.

But then one of their raids failed; it had been a trap. One of her followers, Atsushi, had sold them all out in hopes of letting the Nobles kill her. He had been blinded by his hatred for wolves. He had tried to kill her himself, but she had gotten him first. However, he had managed to wound her severely and threw her back into the oak tree, where she had hit her head, causing her to lose her memory.

She looked down at her paws. Everything…She remembered _everything_. But the price she had had to pay to get them back was too much. She had lost Okaasan and Otousan. She rose to her paws, and went over to the bodies to say one last goodbye.

And then she took off running. It was what she did to cope with the pain; it had worked for her for a long time.

She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she had to go somewhere unfamiliar. Somewhere that held no memories for her. She had to stray…

**-A/N- Anyway, that last sentence was meant to be a reference to the 'Wolf's Rain' theme song "Stray", which I think is one of the **_**best **_**songs in the world.**


	4. City of Howls

Chapter Four: City of Howls

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Wolf's Rain'. Just Tsuki/Kegawa.**

**A/N: Now it's changing from third-person to first-person.**

Hi, there. My name's Kegawa. Well, actually, it's Tsuki, but Kegawa is the name Otousan and Okaasan gave me, so I've decided to go by it. It's the only thing I have to remember them by, other than Okaasan's choker.

Anyway, after I left the farm, I eventually came across this dome. The humans call it Freeze City. Funny name, I think.

Well, ever since I got here, I haven't done much really. I just eat and sleep whenever I can. Occasionally I'll walk around in human-form, but I don't have any money to pay for food or shelter, so for the most part, I'm in wolf-form. It's not too bad, but it isn't the best, either. But I don't really have a choice, do I?

I was walking down the street in human-form, when I spotted a man pushing a hotdog cart. My stomach growled loudly, making me flush slightly with embarrassment. I changed into wolf-form, and slowly approached the cart. The cart's owner was side-tracked, selling a few hot dogs to a small boy and his mother.

But I had only gotten a few feet away when he turned and noticed me.

"Get outta here, ya mangy mutt!" he shouted, throwing a rock at my paws.

I yelped and scrambled away, hiding behind a nearby trashcan. He finished with his customers and pushed his cart in the opposite direction, muttering angrily to himself.

I growled softly in frustration. "Great, scraps for dinner tonight." And with that, I knocked over the garbage can, and pawed through its contents. I managed to find some chicken legs that were only a few days old. It was going to have to do.

I began to tear off the chicken meat, chewing and swallowing. It was pretty bland, which made me sigh. I wish I could have some of Okaasan's teriyaki chicken...The thought of it made my mouth water, and I sighed again.

I got to my paws and began to wander about the dome, unsure of what to do, of where to go. I stopped a few times when I scented other wolves, but I never saw them, so I didn't really think much of it and continued on my way.

Before I knew it, night had fallen.

I came across a bar, outside of which was a black dog tied to a pole. But as I looked closer, I realized that it was a wolf-dog.

She suddenly stiffened and sat up straight, watching the entrance of the alleyway. I followed her gaze, and saw a bunch of shadows on the ground. Soon, a group of human men carrying a bunch of boxes and crates came into view. It was a raiding party.

Amongst the humans was a bluish-gray male wolf with a yellow X-shaped scar on his chest. He was wearing his human glamour, though, so he appeared as a tall and muscular man of about 25 with white hair and yellow eyes, dressed all in leather.

He stopped, letting the humans pass him. He turned to look at the black wolf-dog. She began barking and strained against her leash, as if she wanted to attack him. The blue-gray wolf ran.

The door of the bar burst open, and a man wearing a trench coat and holding a rifle ran out. The wolf-dog continued barking.

"What is it, Blue? Did you see one?" He ran out into the main street, looking around. His shoulders slumped in disappointment as his gaze fell on the ground. He knelt down and touched his fingers to the ground.

The wolf-dog sat down, finally calming down, but then she whirled around to face me. She bared her teeth, growling, before she started barking again, straining at her leash to run at me.

The man leapt to his feet and looked at me. His eyes widened and he lifted his rifle, aiming at me. I took on my human form and jumped up to the safety of the rooftops, without a backwards glance.

Without anywhere else to go, I settled down to sleep in an alleyway. _I really hate this place…_


	5. Toboe, Who Doesn't Howl

Chapter Five: Toboe, Who Doesn't Howl

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Wolf's Rain'.**

When I woke up the next morning, I overheard some soldiers talking as they walked past the alley I had slept in.

"You know that big white dog they brought to the lab yesterday? Well, it escaped."

"But wouldn't someone have seen it wandering around the Keep?"

The first shrugged. "Besides, we had our hands full last night with that raiding party."

"Yeah…Did you see the one with the white hair? There was something…odd about him."

The first one laughed. "You and your superstitions."

The second also laughed, but his laughter sounded forced. "Yeah. I'm probably just being paranoid. But he was so…different."

"Just because someone wears leather and has white hair doesn't mean they're weird." The soldiers walked off, out of sight.

I stood up and stretched before setting off.

I passed by another alley, but stopped when I saw a wolf there. He looked really young, probably no older than me, and he had red-brown fur and was wearing four silver bracelets. He approached a trash can that was overrun with crows. He tried to scare them off, but he whimpered and backed away when they began pecking at him. He hid behind a crate and peeked out.

I knew how he felt. Obviously, he had been raised by humans, and now he had been left to fend for himself. And that was no easy task, believe me.

He suddenly pricked his ears and looked towards the street. Walking past was a man and his daughter, both of them carrying grocery bags. A potato fell out of the girl's bag, and the wolf approached it.

He was about to eat it when the girl came over to retrieve it. She put the potato in the bag, and looked up at the wolf, who was once again hiding behind the crate.

She smiled and held out a link of sausages to him. "Here. Try these. They taste better." When he hesitated, she continued. "Come on, you can have them. You're hungry, aren't ya?"

He slowly walked towards her and sniffed at the sausage, but he whimpered when he heard the crows caw. The girl glared at them, then turned back to the wolf. "Don't be afraid."

The wolf sniffed at the sausage, still looking hesitant.

"They aren't poisoned, or anything." The girl bit off a piece of the sausage and held it out to the wolf again. "See? It's fine."

With one final sniff, the wolf ate the sausages. The girl smiled at him.

"Where'd you come from, little fella? If you wander around here too long, the dogcatchers'll catch you for sure."

The wolf licked her hand, and she scratched his chin.

"You sure are warm, aren't ya, boy?"

"Leara!" the man called, and she looked towards the truck he was waiting by.

"Bye, now!" She stood up and patted the wolf on the head. She started to walk away, and the wolf started to follow. "No, stay. Sorry, boy, but even if you followed me home, I couldn't keep you."

He sat down, and tilted his head to the side.

"Well, that's funny. It's almost like you can understand me. I'm sorry." The girl ran back to her father, and climbed into the truck.

Once the truck had driven off, I made my presence known. "Um…hi, there," I said to him.

The wolf jumped and whirled around, growling. But then he stopped and tilted his head to the side in the same cute way he had for the human girl. I laughed once.

"You—you're just like me?" he asked in surprise.

"Well, I wouldn't say that…"

"I meant, you're a wolf, too?"

"Uh-uh. My name's Kegawa. What's yours?"

"It's Toboe." He changed into his human glamour, and I realized that he _was _young. He looked only about 15, and his eyes were brown and wide and innocent. He was kinda small, and his hair was a sort of reddish-brown, like his fur. He was wearing black combat boots, green cargo pants, a red button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and four silver bracelets.

"It's really nice to meet you, Toboe. Have you been here long?"

"Not really. Maybe only a few days."

"Would you want to hang around with me? I've been here for a few weeks, but I already know where the best places to find food are." I liked Toboe, and I really didn't know anyone else in this city. Besides, it would be nice to have another wolf to talk with.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Great," I said, smiling. We wandered around the city, and I showed him how to survive in these harsh conditions, about how to find scraps in the garbage cans. We eventually found someplace to sleep for the night, and we curled up together for warmth.

The next morning, I padded down to the mouth of the alley we were in, stretching. I sighed happily.

"Something wrong, Kegawa?"

"No," I told him. "I'm just really happy to have some company, I guess…"

He smiled at me, and we set off, wandering through Freeze City. It was almost noon when Toboe made an excited sound in his throat.

"Look, it's Leara! I'll catch up with you later, Kegawa!"

"Okay…" I walked down the street, wondering what he was doing with Leara. It wasn't long before I heard footsteps and laughter. I turned around to see Toboe come into view, seeming very happy about something. "Hey, Toboe!" I said, running over to him.

"Kegawa! Hi!" But then he made a shocked sound in his throat, and his eyes widened. I turned around to see a gray wolf standing there. "You're another one, just like us?"

I recognized the gray wolf from a couple nights ago, outside of the bar. He eyed us, his expression not obvious, since he was wearing sunglasses. But I got the feeling he was unhappy about seeing us. I didn't like it. "Look, beat it, both of you."

I _really _didn't like him then.

The gray wolf looked behind us, and Toboe and I turned. It was the black wolf-dog. Her owner soon came into view, looking unsteady, and smelling strongly of whiskey. He was drunk.

"Blue? Did you find something?" His speech was slurred as he looked at us.

Without warning, the gray wolf jumped up onto the rooftops. I followed behind, but turned back to see if Toboe was following. The wine bottle fell out of the wolf-hunter's hand, shattering in the street. He pulled out his rifle and aimed it at Toboe.

"Toboe, jump!" I said.

The wolf-hunter cocked his gun and unsteadily walked towards Toboe, who was shaking, but seemingly unable to move.

"A boy?" the wolf-hunter said. "No, you're not a boy." He pointed the rifle at Toboe.

The gray wolf jumped down, knocking the gun from the wolf-hunter's hands. The wolf-dog snapped at his leg. I also jumped down and landed in front of Toboe.

"Come on, let's get out of here!"

"Jump!" the gray wolf ordered.

"Huh?" Toboe said.

"Hurry up!" he snapped.

"I was getting ready to!" Toboe insisted, closing his eyes, and jumping up onto the roof with me; Tsume followed close behind.

The minute we had reached safety, the gray wolf began to walk off.

"Come on! Let's follow him!" Toboe said, already running off after Tsume.

"Nngh. Toboe, wait up!" I ran to catch up to the two male wolves.

Once Toboe had caught up to the gray wolf, he started talking. "Who the heck was that? And what's up with his dog?"

"I have no idea," was his moody reply.

"Hey, so you're Tsume, right?" Toboe asked. "This is a first for me. I've never met a wolf, I mean, other than myself, and Kegawa here."

Tsume didn't say anything.

Toboe continued. "I've heard rumors about you, you know, from the crows. They say that you make friends with humans, and run wild with them."

"Well, you heard wrong. I don't have any friends."

"Yeah, I've heard," I muttered.

"What was that?" Tsume demanded, rounding on me.

"Oh, nothing."

"By the way, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Toboe, and this is Kegawa," Toboe said, still walking along and talking to Tsume. "You know, I've been living with humans my whole life, too…"

"Just get lost, will ya?" Tsume said, sounding annoyed. "I'm starting to get pissed off, and that only happens when I'm around _idiots_."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, hurt. "You could be nicer than that, you know!"

"I could take you down in a heartbeat, kid."

"You wanna bet? You don't even know how much we're alike, Tsume." I had been watching him, and I was realizing that he reminded me about my old personality…

"Just beat it!"

"But…Can't we come with you?" Toboe asked.

"No, you can't." Tsume walked off, leaving us behind.

"Come on," I whispered to Toboe, and we jumped off the ledge and began to walk down the street, looking for some food.

After we had eaten some hotdogs I had stolen, Toboe turned to me. "Kegawa, do you mind if I can go look for Leara?"

"I'll come with you," I said, standing.

Toboe grinned, and went back to the park we had visited earlier. He sniffed the air, and found this small cottage amongst some of the trees there. Toboe watched the open window, which revealed a kitchen. Leara came into view, and with a screech, a falcon landed on her shoulder. She smiled at it and fed it a piece of bread.

The falcon took off, crying out, and Toboe began to chase after it. It glided on the air currents for a while before swooping down towards the ground. I stopped by a tree a few feet away, and saw that the falcon had attacked a mouse. Toboe ran forward, panting, his eyes alight with excitement.

Too late, I realized that he was killing the bird. I'm sure Toboe had just meant to be playful, but he had ended up mauling the falcon.

"Toboe!" I hissed, but he didn't hear me.

Leara came running towards us. Toboe looked up and smiled.

"Leara!" He picked up the now-dead falcon and ran over to Leara. "Here! It's your bird."

She just stared at it disbelievingly.

Toboe's smile faltered, and he looked down at the falcon. "Hey, wake up." He shook it.

Leara's eyes filled with tears. "He's dead. My bird is dead."

"But I—I didn't mean to kill him, I swear," Toboe said, his voice cracking. Leara took a step away from him, and Toboe sank to his knees. "I knew it was yours, and I just wanted to—I didn't think it would die." Toboe started crying, and his human glamour fell—Leara saw his true form, saw the wolf.

"Crap!" I hissed, and I ran forward.

Toboe began to howl in grief, and I quickened my pace. But before I got there, Tsume ran forward and grabbed Toboe by the scruff of the neck, who yelped in surprise. I followed Tsume.

We ended up in Tsume's hideout, which was near the large tree the white wolf had been found under. Night had fallen, and it was pretty dim. Tsume was sitting in the window, looking out at the tree, and Toboe was sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs and leaning against the wall by the window. I sat cross-legged in front of Toboe, watching him carefully.

"I never meant to kill anything…" he murmured. "Granny…She…I was all alone at the entrance to the dome…And she was so nice to me…She said I was so little, that my eyes had barely opened… She gave these to me,"—Toboe lifted the arm that bore the silver bracelets—"and we lived together ever since."

"So she kept you as a pet. That human tamed you, and you were nothing more than an obedient dog," Tsume scoffed.

"I wasn't!" Toboe shouted, and Tsume turned to look at him. "I-I only—I just wanted to protect her…But she still-she still—"

"Still threw you out?" Tsume asked, smirking.

"She still died," Toboe finished quietly. "She died!" He hid in his face in his arms and began to cry. I scooted over to sit beside him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, trying to comfort him. "I-I let her die…"

Tsume watched us, but then there were footsteps out in the hall. Tsume watched the door, which was slightly ajar. Tsume suddenly stood up and went over to the door, and opened it. I smelled human-scent.

"Seto…"

"No one is going to come," a male voice said.

"Then why are you here?" Tsume asked.

"I'm leaving after this. Tsume…you're just too different from the rest of us." There were footsteps again, but the faded away.

Suddenly, there was this weird humming noise of a high-frequency coming from the sky. Tsume looked up at the sky, a shocked sound coming from his throat. I recognized the sound as a Noble's ship.

"Ugh, I hate that sound," I muttered.


	6. Bad Fellow

Chapter Six: Bad Fellow

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Wolf's Rain'. But I do own Kegawa. Hooray!**

This sad, screeching sound suddenly filled the air. Toboe clasped his hands over his ears, crying out. I clamped my hands over my ears, screaming once, fighting the feeling the sound was giving me—grief, impenetrable sadness…

Tsume looked back at us, seemingly fighting off the affect the noise had on him, too.

"Cut it out!" Tsume commanded, looking seriously pissed off. "Toboe, be quiet! Just shut up!"

The noise eventually ceased, and I slowly put my hands down, as if I was half-expecting it to start back up again. But somehow I knew that it wouldn't.

Tsume walked over to Toboe, who still had his ears covered. "Hey," he said. "Hey!" he repeated, nudging Toboe with his foot.

Toboe gasped and looked up.

"Snap out of it, would ya?"

"Is it—? It's gone," Toboe said quietly. "You felt that, didn't you? You heard that, right?"

"Uh-huh," I murmured, but Tsume didn't answer.

Toboe looked down at his knees. "Such a sad voice."

"Yeah…" I agreed.

"It was a machine, that's all," Tsume said. "Probably the sound of some old robot breaking down."

Toboe didn't look convinced, and to be frank, I wasn't, either. It had been someone, or something, screaming. And that scream had affected all three of us, even if Tsume didn't admit it.

"Come on. Get some rest," Tsume said.

I curled up next to Toboe, and quickly fell asleep.

"Hey, runt. Get up. You, too, kid."

I sat up groggily when I heard Tsume's voice. I stretched my arms above my head, yawning. I saw a box at his feet, and sniffed the hair. It was food!

"Toboe, come one. Tsume found food."

Toboe only woke up after Tsume went over and shoved him off the raised part of the floor we had slept on. Tsume handed each of us a sandwich from the box, and we began to eat.

"So, what are you gonna do now?" Toboe asked Tsume. "Do you have somewhere to go?"

"Who knows?" he replied, sighing slightly, taking a bite.

"I wonder if I'll ever see Leara again," Toboe mused.

"That wouldn't be such a good idea, Toboe," I told him.

"Why not?"

"You saw that look on her face, didn't you?" Tsume asked.

"Well, she was just…a little surprised, is all."

"You can't be serious!" Tsume said, laughing. "She was pissin' in her pants!"

"No, she wasn't!"

"That girl was reekin' of it."

"Why do you have to lie about everything?"

Tsume cast a sideways glance at Toboe.

"You heard that sound, too, didn't you? And it _must've _made you feel sad. So stop lying and just be honest with yourself!"

"Fine! Whatever! If you want to go, then go! It's not like I care what happens to ya." Tsume sounded pissed…again.

"Then why'd you save me? If you really don't care, then you should've just left me, or pretended not to recognize me. I mean, I'm not your friend, or anything."

"You're right," Tsume agreed. "You're not my friend."

Toboe glared at him. "Yeah, I forgot. You're only friends with humans. It's easier that way, isn't it? 'Cause no human is ever going to be as strong as you. They'll do whatever you tell them to."

"No, they don't!" I insisted, suddenly breaking into the argument, steadily growing frustrated as I watched the two of them. "They don't do everything you tell them to! They either fear you, or respect you! And if they fear you, then they try to kill you!" I angrily wiped at the tears that threatened to spill over.

"What do you mean?" Toboe asked me, sounding surprised and concerned because of my sudden outburst.

"She means that you don't know what you're talking about," Tsume told him. "You have no idea what it takes to survive in this city, how dangerous it is! Nothing!"

"No, I didn't! I meant—" I started.

"Go on," Tsume continued. "Let's see how well you do on your own! Beat it!" He threw his sandwich at such an angle that it knocked Toboe's out of his hands.

Toboe stood and walked to the door. But he stopped and turned to face Tsume. "Being alone…doesn't bother you?"

"Hey, I'm sorry," Tsume said, and Toboe looked surprised. Tsume hoisted himself up onto the windowsill before continuing. "I'm sorry I ever got mixed up with a kid like you."

Toboe opened the door, and slammed it shut behind him.

"I'm sick of friends. Who needs 'em?"

He suddenly realized that I was still there, and he looked over at me, noticing my glare.

"What, kid?"

"You're such a jerk!"

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind. So, how is it that you know so much about humans?"

"None of your business!" I growled, not willing to share my past, especially with the likes of him. I stood up. "What's your problem, anyway? You act like you hate the world!"

He didn't reply.

"Ugh!" I exclaimed, and left, slamming the door behind me. I kicked the ground, muttering to myself as I walked away from the old building. Tsume had pissed me off, and I wasn't really focused. But I caught Toboe's scent, and my anger eased a bit, replaced with worry.

_I should go look for him,_ I thought.

I found him barking at some crows, and they flew off immediately. He knocked over the garbage can, and began to tear at something he had found. As he did so, I heard him muttering about Tsume.

"What does he know? I'm fine by myself."

"Toboe," I said, letting him know I was there.

"Hey, Kegawa," he said gloomily.

The two of us glanced over a nearby man hole, because the cover was rattling. It lifted, and there were was this cubby and tan male wolf.

"Uh-oh. Must've taken a wrong turn," he said before turning to look at us. "Hey, look! It's two of our own! Whoa!" He was pushed out by a white wolf.

"Move it, will ya?" the white one said, pulling himself out of the man hole. "That's the last time I trust your nose."

"Well, anyone's nose would go numb after a night in that stinkhole!" the tan wolf defended.

I noticed that both were wearing their human glamours. The tan wolf was chubby, with curly light-brown hair, and red-brown eyes. He was wearing sneakers, light blue sweatpants, a black long-sleeved shirt, a yellow hoodie, and an over-sized dog collar with a fancy 'X' on it. The white wolf had black hair and cloudy-blue eyes, and was wearing black-and-white sneakers, jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black jacket.

Toboe looked at them in surprise. "You guys—? No way! Y-you're—"

The white wolf looked behind us, and we turned to see Leara.

"Leara!" Toboe breathed.

Leara gasped and began trembling.

"Don't be scared. I won't do anything. I just…wanted to see you again. I'm so sorry…about your bird."

"Daddy…" Leara said quietly, growing louder each time. "Daddy. Daddy! DADDY!"

Toboe gasped.

"Come quick! It's the wolf! The wolf is here!"

"Time to go!" I said quickly, leading the way to a dead-end alley with sewage pipes. "Come on!" I said, crawling into one.

"Aw, but—Oh, all right," I heard the tan wolf say.

"Wait, where's Toboe?" I asked after a while, alarmed.

"I'll go get him," the tan wolf volunteered, squeezing back through the pipe to fetch Toboe.

We finally reached the main sewage line, and we climbed out of the pipe, running down the sewage line; I led the way.

"I told you, I hate smelly places!" the tan wolf complained to the white one.

"Well, she didn't know that, now did she?"

"No, I guess not…"

I finally stopped running, stepping out of the water. _We should be safe,_ I thought.

"Hey, runt, what's eatin' you?" the tan wolf asked Toboe.

"I'm not a runt! My name's Toboe."

"Well, that's cool. What about you? What's your name?" the tan wolf asked, sort of flirtatiously, coming uncomfortably close to me.

"Whoa, easy there, tiger. Don't get too close, because this puppy's got a bite that's worst than her bark."

The tan wolf sighed sadly.

"Anyway, I'm Kegawa," I finally said.

"Well, I'm Hige, and this here's Kiba," he replied.

"Where are we headed, anyway?" Toboe asked.

"Where do ya think? To the exit, of course."

"To the exit?"

"We're leaving town," Kiba said.

"You're leaving town? But where else are ya gonna go?"

"To Paradise…"

"'Paradise'?" I said, stopping short. "You actually believe Paradise exists?"

Kiba stopped and turned to face me. "Of course. Don't you?"

"I do. It's just that…others don't."

"Do you know Tsume?" Toboe suddenly asked them.

"No. Never heard of him," Hige said.

"'Tsume'…Is he the one with the scar on his chest?" Kiba questioned.

"Yeah! That's Tsume!"

"Okay. What about him?"

"Well, he's one of us, so I thought he might want to leave, too."

"No! He's a jerk!" I said.

"Well, I don't know him," Hige said. "Where is he? Hiding out someplace?"

"I don't know. We…got separated."

"Sorry, pal," Hige said. "It's too late to go back for him, now. So, what? Is he…like a friend of yours?"

"No, he's not! He isn't my friend."

"So? Ditch him already." Hige began to walk off. "Shake a leg, runt."

"That's Toboe!"

I looked over, and saw Kiba kneeling down by a small puddle of blood at the base of a ladder. Then he started up the ladder.

"Where are you going?"

"Just follow me."

"Hige, Toboe, I think Kiba found a way out!" I called before climbing the ladder after him.

He led the way to Tsume's hideout.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

Kiba didn't answer; he just went inside, and led us to the room Toboe and I had stayed with Tsume in. He opened the door.

"What a crap heap," Hige said. "Why the hell did ya bring us here?"

"Tsume!" Toboe said.

"You!" Tsume growled, but I didn't know if he was talking to Kiba, or to Toboe and me.

"Wha? Hey, is this him?" Hige asked.

"I could smell the blood from your wound," Kiba said to Tsume.

"What?"

"I smelled it all the way here from town."

"And you're gonna nurse me back to health? Well, I don't need your help!"

"Tsume…Look…I…" Toboe said, but he didn't seem to know what to say. "We're leaving the city. I really think you should come with us."

"And just where is this merry band of yours going?"

"To Paradise," Kiba replied.

Tsume laughed once. "You're kiddin' me. You're goin' with them because you believe in that crap?" he asked Toboe.

"Well, I don't know…But if we stay here, we'll have to spend the rest of our lives in hiding, or worse. We just can't live with the humans anymore, and survive."

"Look, I hate to interrupt, but a nasty stink is headin' this way," Hige said, who was standing by the window.

I peeked out, and saw soldiers were surrounding the building.

"We're surrounded," Tsume growled.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I muttered.

"Let me ask you," Kiba said as we all gathered around the window, being careful not to be seen, "why did you guys come to this city? It was because of the flower-scent, wasn't it? Well, it's gone now. There's no reason to stay."

Now that Kiba had brought it up, I _had _scented some sort of flower throughout the city. But it was gone. It hadn't been there since the previous night…Since the screaming sound had stopped…

"The flower has nothing to do with it," Tsume said. "I'm here because I belong."

"I can see that," Kiba said. "This city is a dump."

Tsume glared at him. "I still have a score to settle with you." He began to walk towards Kiba.

"We don't have time for this!" Hige growled.

"The last time we met, you said something about how your pride wouldn't allow you to pass as a human. Well, you look pretty human to me. Where'd your pride go?"

"Nowhere," Kiba replied. "Nothing has changed.

"Do you have the slightest idea of what leaving the city would mean?"

"Yeah."

"You'll just die."

"Possibly. Everyone's gonna die. It's a natural part of life. But if life has no purpose, you're dead already.

There was a flash of light, momentarily blinding us. We ran out of the building, and onto some pipes, and began to run along them. We were all on our own pipe, though Toboe was right behind Tsume. I was getting a déjà vu feelings, because the scene was so much like the night of the failed raid…

A bullet hit the pipe near Toboe's feet, and he slipped. He managed to grab hold of the pipe, and I froze, closing my eyes. This was too much like that night…I couldn't bear it…

Toboe tried to pull himself up, but he couldn't. Tsume stopped running and ran back to help Toboe to safety. I shook my head, and continued running, watching Toboe out of the corner of my eye.

Tsume jumped down to a lower pipe.

"Tsume!" Toboe called.

Tsume just kept running. Kiba, Hige, Toboe, and I came to this sort of outdoor hallway, and continued running. Kiba led the way, jumping up to a ledge that was really high up. He stopped and turned, watching the entrance of a tunnel a few feet down.

"What the hell are you stoppin' for?" Hige asked.

Kiba didn't reply; he just kept watching the tunnel. A few moments later, Tsume emerged.

"Tsume!" Toboe cried out happily.

Kiba and Tsume stared at each other for a bit, before Kiba looked towards a curved column. "This way!"

Kiba led the way up the column, to the rooftops there. Tsume came up behind Toboe. We finally reached the entrance of the dome, which was at the top of a really high ledge. Kiba jumped off, followed by Hige. I hesitated for a second, took a few steps back, and took a running start, throwing myself off the ledge. I somehow managed to land on my feet.

Toboe stopped at the edge, apparently having the same height-related issues.

"Jump already!" Hige called over the noise of the snow storm.

"I was getting ready to, alright!" Toboe insisted, causing me to laugh once. That was the second time he had said that…

"Move it!" Tsume said, kicking him off.

Toboe yelled in a funny sort of way as he went flying through the air. He landed face-down in the snow. I went over, and helped him to his feet. Tsume just stood there, staring down at us.

I heard sirens coming from the dome, and poorly aimed gunshots were fired at Tsume.

"Tsume, what are you waiting for? Come on! Jump!" Toboe yelled.

"Are you scared?" Kiba asked.

Tsume smirked. "Yeah, you wish." He jumped down and joined us.

We ran off into the blizzard in wolf-form. We seek Paradise.


	7. Scars in the Wasteland

Chapter Seven: Scars in the Wasteland

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Wolf's Rain'.**

I didn't know how long we had been travelling, but it felt like moons. We had passed through frozen tundra, deserts, barren wastelands, meadows, forests…And now we back to a frozen tundra, stuck in the middle of a snowstorm.

We had found shelter in a small cave, and we were waiting out the storm.

I shivered and rubbed my arms. My stomach growled softly.

"Oh, man. I sure am hungry," Toboe said.

"Yeah. You can say that again," Hige agreed, but that didn't surprise me. I had quickly learned that the two important things in Hige's life were food and girls.

"How long has it been since we ate anything?"

"I don't know. About three days, or so."

"We've gone that long without eating?"

"Yep. Not a bite."

"How much longer before we get any food?"

"I have no idea. Another three days, I guess."

"Shut up," I whined. I was cold and hungry and tired, and, therefore, pissed off. I couldn't handle hearing Hige and Toboe complain.

"Will you two quit your whining already?" Tsume growled. "It's only been three stupid days."

"Yeah, but if we hadn't left the city, we'd have something to eat right now," Toboe said.

"We can last a lot longer if we bask in the moonlight," Kiba said from where he stood by the cave entrance. "I traveled a full month once when I did that."

"Did you say a month?" Hige exclaimed.

"It should stop snowing anytime now. Once it does, and night draws closer, the moon will be out…"

"Well, if worse comes to worse, we could always eat each other," Tsume said, causing Toboe and Hige to jump back and look at him like he had lost his mind.

"We can start with the runt, because he's gotten so weak. And then we can finish off with Porky over there."

"Wait a second, how come Kegawa and Kiba aren't on the menu?" Toboe asked.

"The kid isn't, 'cause she's such a pain in the ass. And Kiba isn't, 'cause he's so full of crap."

I couldn't help but smirk. So I _had _been getting on Tsume's nerves…

Kiba glared at Tsume.

Toboe jumped to his feet. "Come on! Cut it out! You don't mean it! You're just saying stuff like that 'cause you're hungry!"

Hige looked bored, but then his eyes lit up with excitement, and he leapt to his feet, running outside, where the blizzard had subsided to a soft sprinkling of snow. After exchanging looks, the four of us ran after him.

We left the snow behind, and came to the top of a barren hill. Hige had found the carcass of a deer-like animal.

"I wonder where it came from?" Toboe wondered aloud. "I mean, it's all by itself out here."

Hige sniffed at the carcass.

"You gonna eat that?" Tsume asked incredulously.

"Yeah, aren't you gonna?" Hige replied before he started to chow down.

Kiba knelt down and joined him. Toboe, after his stomach growled once, also joined them. I sighed and told myself that I probably wouldn't get anything else to eat for a few days. I knelt down to join the males, and was surprised that it tasted okay. Better than stale chicken legs, at least.

"You know what? This tastes pretty good," Toboe said. "It's only a bit tougher than hamburger…Hey! Come on, Tsume, have some! We still have a long way to go."

"'Go'?" Tsume repeated. "Go where, exactly? To that Paradise place? Off in the direction you smell the flower?"

"Tsume…" Toboe said sadly, before turning to Kiba. "Come on, Kiba, tell us. What's Paradise really like?"

"Oh, it's amazing!" Hige exclaimed. "The flowers are always in bloom, and there's food everywhere! And there's beautiful babes all over the place." He sighed happily.

"Really?" Toboe asked.

"Yeah! Well…I hope so."

"You don't know." Toboe was obviously disappointed.

"Well, _I _think it's just like this place, but it's a lot better, with no pain and suffering," I said. "And there's both guys and girls there," I added, smacking the back of Hige's head.

"Ow…" he said, rubbing the place I had hit him, and we laughed.

"Paradise is just a fairytale," Tsume grumbled. "Either that, or it's just the dream of some idiot."

"Why the hell did you come with us?" Hige muttered.

"Well, we'll never know unless we look for it!" Toboe insisted.

"How far are you going to let him string you along?" Tsume jerked his head in Kiba's direction. "How far are you going to go, following him in pursuit of a place that doesn't exist?"

"It does exist!" I insisted, jumping to my feet and baring my teeth.

Tsume didn't seem fazed. Instead, he shook his head in disgust. "That's it! I won't put up with you losers anymore!" He turned on his heel and began to walk away.

"Tsume!" Toboe called out.

"Where d'you think you're going, all by yourself?" Hige said.

"Exactly. Where are you going to go?" I added.

"To look for hell, I guess."

"Suit yourself," Kiba said. He continued when Tsume glanced back at us. "But remember, those rules you have don't apply out here."

"You know, it pisses me off when people like you have that know-it-all look when in reality, they're clueless."

Kiba didn't say anything, and Toboe looked from Tsume to Kiba and back again.

"Hmph!" Tsume continued walking off.

"Tsume!" Don't leave! We've finally made some friends!" Toboe called after him.

"Play with your buddies all you want, but I'm out of here!"

"Good riddance," I muttered.

"If you ask me, he was the one acting like a little kid," Hige stated.

"Don't say that. Tsume's really nice. I liked him," Toboe said.

I disguised my snicker as a cough.

"Just stay here. I'll go get him."

"Toboe!" I groaned in frustration. "Sit tight," I told Hige and Kiba before running off after Toboe.

"Hey, Tsume! Wait for me! What are you so mad about? Come back and join us, okay?"

"Just shut the hell up!"

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" I scolded.

Tsume stopped briefly to glare at me before he stalked off.

"You know it's dangerous to go off alone!"

"It doesn't matter. We're always alone."

"But—" Toboe reached out towards Tsume.

He turned and shoved Toboe, knocking him to the ground. "Stop bothering me! And don't follow me!" He turned and ran off.

I glared after him before kneeling down next to Toboe and wrapping my arms around his shoulders. They were shaking and, looking at his face, I saw tears rolling down his face.

"Hey, it's okay," I murmured, giving him a squeeze.

"I know he didn't mean it, but I don't know how to get through to him…"

"Trust me, people like Tsume are really hard to crack." _I should know…_

"Come on," he finally said, rising to his feet.

"Huh? But he told us not to follow him!"

"I know." Toboe gave me a childish grin before running off after Tsume.

"Wait for me!" I called.

It was nearing sunset when we came across this abandoned and seriously run-down city. Tsume's scent was present, but there didn't seem to be a definite scent trail.

"Tsume! Tsume!"

"Tsume!"

I turned when I heard a metallic clink. Toboe looked down in surprise, lifting his foot slightly. There was a small piece of metal imbedded in the ground. Toboe met my gaze, shrugged, and continued on.

"Tsume! Hey, where are you! Tsume!"

We came to the top of this rock that overlooked the ruined city, vainly searching for Tsume. I turned when I heard running footsteps, and was surprised to see Tsume. And then there was gunfire.

I'm still not really sure how we managed to get away from the robot, but we did. However, Tsume was left limping as we tried to put as much distance between us and whatever had tried to kill us. I knew he was hurting, but he wasn't willing to let us help him, which irritated me. The machine tried to follow us, but it was still quite a distance away…It fired at us, and we fell to the bottom of a snowy canyon.

I sat up, tilting my head from side to side to ease the crick in my neck. I looked over at Toboe, who was shaking some snow out of his hair. "You okay?" I called.

"Yeah…Where's Tsume?"

He had landed a little further off, unconscious now. I rolled my eyes and looked around, spotting a cave nearby. I stood up. "Help me get him over there," I said to Toboe, nodding at the cave entrance.

He nodded and we half-carried, half-dragged Tsume to the cave. I plopped down, panting. Toboe knelt down by Tsume's injured leg and started to lick the wound. I closed my eyes, but they snapped open again when I heard Tsume's irritated voice.

"Don't touch me!" After a pause, he asked, "What's it doing?"

"It's not coming after us…I think we gave it the slip…" Toboe replied.

Tsume sighed, as if relieved, and laid down, closing his eyes.

Toboe stared in awe. "You're covered in scars…"

I shifted, feeling oddly self-conscious. I hid very similar battle scars by wearing the clothes I had: a red turtleneck sweater, a black coat, and black pants. Every article of clothing was long, covering up my violent past…The one that was so similar to Tsume's life in Freeze City…

"That one on your chest is really cool!"

Tsume only rolled over, not saying anything.

Toboe's expression fell, but then he said, "I wonder where Kiba and Hige are…I bet they're worried about us…"

"I don't trust anyone," Tsume said. "So, because of that, no one has to trust me…Makes things more simple."

"I don't care…I still like you, Tsume…"

There was metallic clanging in the distance. The killing machine had found us.

"Damn…!" I said.

Tsume tried to stand up, looking like he was about to go outside.

"Tsume, no! You'll get yourself killed!" Toboe insisted.

"Well, you'll finally have something to eat, then, won't you?"

"Don't be stupid!" Toboe leapt to his feet. "I'll act as a decoy so you two can get away!"

"Toboe…!" I started, but Tsume interrupted me, although he was thinking the same thing.

"Don't do it!"

"It's okay. You can trust me." With those words, Toboe ran outside.

I heard gunfire, and gritting my teeth, I turned to Tsume. "Come on!" I practically growled. I knew Toboe had volunteered to put his life in danger, but the fact that he was doing it to protect this asshole…

But as we stepped out, the machine turned its attention to us, firing. We managed to get away, but then a cannon-like blast sent us flying. I winced as I sat up, and looked up, noticing that the machine was right in front of us, aiming to kill…

And then a howl pierced the air as Kiba intercepted. As he fought it off, I heard Hige's voice.

"Tsume, Kegawa, up here!"

Turning my head, I noticed Hige further up the ravine. I helped Tsume limp along, and we made it out of the canyon. Toboe caught up soon after, and the four of us walked along the snow-covered ground, stopping to rest a distance away. There, we waited for Kiba, who didn't show up until a little past dawn.

"Hey, you okay?" Hige asked.

Kiba shook his head slightly. "It's just a scratch."

"Yeah, right," Hige scoffed. "Ever since I met you guys, it's been nothing but trouble."

"Thanks a lot, Hige," I said sarcastically.

"I knew it. I knew you guys would come for us," Toboe remarked.

"Well, don't get used to it, runt," Hige told him.

"I didn't ask for your help," Tsume growled. "Why would you do that? Why would you risk your life for me? And don't try telling it's because we're friends."

"It was just instinct," Kiba replied.

Tsume said nothing, but rose to his feet. He took one step forward, but he stumbled slightly. Both Toboe and I leapt forward to assist him. Tsume looked back at Kiba, who steadily met his gaze. He continued walking with our support. The others began to follow, and we continued on our journey.


	8. Fallen Wolves

Chapter Eight: Fallen Wolves

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Wolf's Rain', only Kegawa.**

We ran across the snow, and Toboe ran alongside me. When we stopped to rest, he told about a dream he had had.

"I had a dream that we'd reached Paradise. It was so amazing! There were all this red and blue flowers blooming everywhere. And they were Lunar Flowers!"

"Have you ever _seen _a Lunar Flower before?" Hige asked him.

"Well, no, not really," Toboe replied, looking down at his lap. "But Granny was there, too. And she took care of us, and cooked for us, and made us all kinds of delicious food."

"It sounds like a great dream, Toboe," I told him, resting my hand on his forearm in a comforting gesture. Poor thing had lost Granny, the human that had taken care of him…

"What are you talkin' about?" Hige asked.

Right…He wasn't there when Toboe told Tsume and me about Granny.

"I guess you'll be happy being somebody's pet even in Paradise," Tsume scoffed.

"It's not what you think!" Toboe said, defending himself. "It was like some big party, and we were all treated like guests. There was great music and everything."

"Sounds like a city coffee shop to me," Hige commented.

I rolled my eyes. Those two couldn't let Toboe's imagination run free, could they?

"But it's true, Hige! It was really amazing! It made me think that it was really Paradise! I guess it's kinda hard to describe."

"Well, with a brain like yours, what do you expect?" Hige said.

"Give him a break, Hige!" I said exasperatedly.

"Yeah. Even Kiba hasn't told me what Paradise looks like, so how am I supposed to know?"

Kiba only smiled softly.

"What color are Lunar Flowers anyway? Can you tell me that?" Toboe begged.

* * *

We trekked on through the snow. The others came to a stop at the top of the hill, and Toboe and I ran up to catch up with them.

"What is it?" he asked as we got closer.

"The ocean," Kiba said.

Before us was the ocean, and across it was a highway going off into the distance. We headed towards it and started to walk across. After a while, Kiba paused.

"The scent is really faint, but it's Lunar Flowers, all right."

"This is it, guys!" Toboe exclaimed. "Paradise is up ahead, I know it!" He began to run ahead, and the rest of us followed after him.

We came to a stop, but before us was a run-down city-dome. I sensed disappointment in the air, but we still approached the city. Kiba, Hige, and I jumped up and over an outer wall, coming to an alleyway. Kiba and I landed on the balls of feet, crouching, while Hige stood and sniffed the air.

"You smell Lunar Flowers, huh?" he asked. "All I smell is some rancid oil."

Toboe jumped down beside me, and slipped when he landed, crashing into a heap with a yelp. Tsume arrived not a heartbeat later and started walking off. We followed after him. It was silent, and the town was in need of repair.

"Man, what a crappy city," Tsume murmured.

We went farther along, sensing that some people lived here, but never seeing anyone.

"Do you suppose they're all afraid of us?" Toboe asked.

"They're not used to visitors, that's for sure," Hige said.

"What the hell are we supposed to find here, anyway?" Tsume demanded. "This is some Paradise," he added when no one answered.

We walked through the city until nightfall. We came to an alley, and Toboe glanced sideways. He stopped, gasping slightly in pleasure and surprise. The rest of us also glanced over, and saw a group of wolves huddled together. There was only one she-wolf among them.

"It's a woman…" Hige murmured, and I rolled my eyes.

One of the wolves, the one with the scar running down the side of his face, stood up and glared at us.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"A city to the north," Kiba replied, almost icily.

"Why are you here?"

"Just passin' through," I said.

"You don't expect us to do business here in a dump like this?" Tsume added.

"Well, then where are you going?"

"Where are we going?" Hige repeated.

"To Paradise!" Toboe exclaimed, hands on hips.

After a silent moment, the wolves started to laugh.

"Kiba, why are they laughing?" Toboe asked, sadness crossing his expression.

"Because they obviously know nothing about Paradise."

They stopped laughing abruptly, and the wolf that had the scar on his face spoke again.

"We know all about it. It's nothing but a stupid legend."

"Legend?" Toboe repeated.

"That's right, kid. There's no such place as Paradise."

"What makes you say that?" Kiba asked him.

Another wolf spoke up. "Maybe because we've been there. We've all seen it. And I'm tellin' ya, it wasn't Paradise. It was more like Hell."

I growled softly and glanced at Toboe, who was blinking, speechless.

"Huh. Well, that's no surprise," Tsume said.

I glared at him, and glanced at Kiba. Out of all of us, he was the one that believed in Paradise the most. His eyes narrowed.

"You'll all find out soon enough," the one with the scar said. "You'll see Paradise isn't worth looking for. Now, why don't you all just get lost?"

"Come on, Kiba, let's go," Toboe said, tugging on Kiba's arm as Tsume and Hige walked off. "I don't wanna hang around here."

We followed after the others as the wolves' laughter echoed behind us. Once we were out of earshot, I kicked the ground angrily.

"They haven't been to Paradise!" I said. "They probably went the wrong way, or something." I crossed my arms.

"What a damn joke," Tsume grumbled. "A bunch of down-and-out losers just give me the brush off."

"Yeah, right," Hige told him. "You're not exactly one to talk, you know."

"What did you say?" Tsume growled, turning to him.

Hige laughed nervously and held up his hands in surrender. "It's just…in a couple of years, we could be like those guys."

"What? Sour old wolves who say they've been to Paradise, but say it isn't all it's cracked up to be. I'd rather not," I said.

"This city is scary," Toboe murmured. "Doesn't feel right. There may be a lot of wolves around here, but this place is really cold."

"Maybe they're right. The sooner we get outta here, the better," Tsume called back.

"And where do you think we should go, exactly?" Kiba demanded from behind us, and we all glanced back at him. "There _has _to be something here. Look at how many wolves are here. I think we should stay here, and find out."

"I agree with Kiba," I said.

Tsume said nothing, but started walking off, and the rest of us followed. A crescent moon rose above the city as we settled down by the water's edge. After a while, someone's stomach growled. Loudly.

"What was that?" Hige asked, and Kiba, Toboe, and I glared at him. He laughed. "Sorry. It's me."

"Well, I guess we're all hungry," I muttered.

Another stomach sounded off, and, surprised, we all glanced at Tsume, who only glared at the water.

"Ha! But it was Tsume that time," Hige said, before looking up at the sky. "How do those guys live here? There's nothing to eat," he whined.

Toboe sighed. "I can't walk another step." He leaned his head against my shoulder, his eyes closing slightly.

"Nngh," I said, surprised, as heat rose to my cheeks. "Maybe we should just rest here for the night, then."

Tsume stood up and walked off, like he always did.

"Where the hell are you going?" Hige said as Kiba rose to his feet to follow him.

Sighing, I got up, and reached down to take hold of Toboe's hand, and followed after them.

"Aw! Wait up!" Hige called.

Tsume led us to a graveyard. I shivered.

"This'll be a good place to sleep," Tsume said.

"Are you crazy?" I demanded, rounding on him. "This place gives me the creeps!" I rubbed my arms.

"Is the mighty she-wolf scared?" Hige and Tsume asked mockingly at the same time.

"No!" I said. "It's just…This place doesn't feel right…"

"I agree," Toboe whispered.

Tsume ignored us and led the way deeper into the graveyard.

"Guys, I keep hearing something weird…" Toboe said after a while.

"Damn it, stop being afraid of everything," Tsume said over his shoulder.

I glared at his back, and went closer to Toboe, wrapping an arm around him. "It's okay," I whispered. "I'm here."

Suddenly, an old wolf popped out of a hole in the ground. Toboe, Hige, and I all screamed, stumbling backward and falling down. Hige was the first to the get back on his feet, and he started laughing.

"I knew it! You were scared!" he said to me.

"Well, so were you!" I replied, rising to my feet and brushing dirt off my jeans and jacket.

Hige childishly stuck his tongue out at me. Weren't Toboe and I supposed to be the youngest members of this group? He then turned to the old wolf.

"Hey, Gramps, what are you doing? You scared the crap outta us!"

"Oh…I was only digging a hole for myself."

"A hole for yourself?" Hige repeated.

"Are you saying you're digging your own grave?" Kiba asked, almost incredulously.

"Well, when you get to my age, you begin to recognize when you time is coming."

"You might want to dig a little faster, then," Tsume said.

"Tsume!" I scolded.

"What?"

"Excuse me," Kiba asked politely, "but do you know if any Lunar Flowers are in this city?"

"Oh! Flower fields that went on forever!" the wolf said, spreading his arms wide. "Long, long ago, they bloomed all over this island! But one day they were all dug up, and now there isn't a single one left."

"A long time ago, huh?" Hige asked, who was sitting down again to listen to the old wolf.

"Hey, what color were they?" Toboe asked.

"Well, let's see…the color of the moon!" the wolf said, pointing to the crescent above our heads.

"And what about Paradise? Have you been there?" Tsume asked him.

"Well, every wolf goes in search of it. Even I tried to search for it, once."

"What did you do?" I asked, positioning myself so that I was kneeling on the ground.

The wolf climbed out of the hole and led us through the graveyard until we came to a small half-circle-shaped hole in the side of a small hill. "Look. That's the entrance over there."

Hige put his arm in front of his nose. "Ugh! That reeks! It smells like death warmed over!"

"I was hoping it'd be a nicer place…" Toboe murmured.

Kiba went closer to the entrance, but the wolf spoke, stopping him.

"I wouldn't. Many young wolves have set out through there, but, sadly, not one of them has reached Paradise. What's left of the ones that return are too weak, and they end up living here, just like the rest of us."

"Okay, old man, that's enough. You should call it a day. Don't forget there's work tomorrow."

We turned around to see the same scarred wolf from earlier. I bit back a growl.

"I see…Well, I think I've dug it deep enough…" the old wolf replied, and walked off.

"Wait a minute. When you and your pack tried to find Paradise, is this the path you took?" Kiba asked.

"I thought I told you that Paradise doesn't exist."

"Zali…" the old wolf scolded gently.

"If you kids disrupt the peace of this pack in any way, I won't show any mercy. Now, get out of here before dawn, is that clear?"

"Just because you're the alpha here, it doesn't mean you can boss us around!" I retorted, taking one step forward.

"Take it easy, Kegawa," Hige and Toboe said in unison, jumping forward to restrain me.

"And you should probably put that she-wolf on a leash," Zali added before walking away with the old wolf.

I growled.

We went to a nearby chapel that was completely falling apart. Hige went to sleep quickly enough, but the rest of us remained awake.

"So, tell me, do you still believe in Paradise?" Tsume asked Kiba, who didn't answer. "They said that they had been there, and that it was no Paradise."

"They must not have found the real Paradise!" I insisted.

"Perhaps…And I have to say that I agree with you," Kia said.

"Gah…Where the hell does all that confidence come from? Both of you always talk like you know best," Tsume muttered.

Kiba didn't say anything, and neither did I.

"And you know it's hopeless. There's no guarantee that we'll reach it, either. We'd be idiots to keep going!"

"Don't say that," Toboe begged. "Besides, getting angry only makes you hungry."

"Maybe we should just hang around and die in the gutter. Start diggin' holes like that old man," Tsume said negatively, flopping down and putting his arms behind his head.

"It's not confidence," Kiba murmured. "I'm not even sure _what _it is. But it's just there, always screaming at me. I just have to know. I have to get to Paradise. That's why I've been running all this time. It's like I can't even begin to imagining living without believing in it."

"It's not confidence for me either. It's just…Never mind." I looked down at my lap.

What Tsume saw as confidence was just a sort of armor I had built around myself. It was my fault that my family and my pack were destroyed by the wolves that worked for those black-shrouded soldiers. I didn't want to go through that same sort of heartbreak…

I heard Hige sniffing at the air, and he abruptly sat up. Footsteps approached, and the she-wolf from Zali's pack appeared.

"You all must be starving by now," she said with a gentle smile.

Hige nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, we are! It's so kind of you to notice!" He went closer to her on all fours.

I laughed at how much he looked like a puppy begging for food. She set down a paper bag, and Hige immediately began to dig through it. Kiba left, and Toboe rose to his feet.

"Wait, Kiba!" he called, running out the door.

I followed him, hearing Hige call out to us to just let him go. We ran after him, but then I skidded to a stop.

"Toboe! I think we lost him! Let's go back."

We ran back to the chapel.

"Guys! Kiba went off by himself!" Toboe called as we got closer, and Tsume walked out the door. "Tsume? What's the matter?"

"This isn't worth my time," I heard him say.

"Now Tsume left!" Toboe said, going into the chapel.

"Aw, let 'em go! This place has more going for it than I thought." He smiled at the she-wolf, who was still standing there and smiled back at him with a small giggle

I rolled my eyes.

"Ugh," Toboe remarked, and turned to go.

After taking one last look at Hige, who was too busy eating and flirting, I followed him. He went after Tsume. No surprise there.

"Come on, where are you going?" Toboe asked. "You know, we can't keep doing this, or sooner or later, we'll be separated for good."

"Fine by me," Tsume said.

Toboe stopped walking. "But…it's not by me," he said quietly.

Tsume paused.

I gave Toboe a hug, and noticed that Tsume had started walking off, but stopped again.

"Hey," he said, turning to face us. "You comin', or not?" he asked.

Toboe's face lit up, and Tsume led the way through the city. We walked across a bridge, and came to what looked like a waiting room for a train station. Tsume plopped down onto a bench with a sigh.

"I'm really tired. What do you say we rest here?"

Toboe smiled. "Okay."

Toboe and I lay down beside each other on the bench, while Tsume settled down a little farther away. It wasn't long before we fell asleep. After a while, I felt Toboe stir, and I opened one eye sleepily. Hige was standing there.

"Hige," I started, but I paused to yawn. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, word is, there'll be some food here."

"Always thinking with your stomach," I grumbled, and closed my eyes again.

I felt that Tsume sat up. I sighed and sat up, too, running a hand through my hair.

"What about…" He sighed.

"Kiba, you mean? I don't know. He never came back."

I heard voice coming from below us, and I went over to the railing. I saw the pack of wolves all gathered there, as well as a lot of humans. A voice spoke over the intercom indistinctly. Was a train actually passing through here? The others joined me.

"What are they doing?" Hige asked.

"Beats me," I replied, looking around. I gasped.

Harnessed to a cart full of supplies and food were several old and ragged wolves. Among them was the really old that we had run into at the graveyard. A whip cracked, and they started to pull it up a ramp. I heard Toboe and Hige react to it. Tsume growled, and looked over. I managed to tear my eyes away from the horrible sight, and noticed Zali, who only stood there watching his pack suffer, as calm as he could be. I growled.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Tsume demanded, but Zali didn't answer.

"Okay, stop here. Rest the dogs!" one human said, holding up a hand.

The wolves were panting, but then they started to fight over a few pieces of meat that they were thrown. We stood there watching, before Tsume turned to Zali again.

"Start talkin', mister!"

"The train only makes a quick stop through here, and gives us all a chance to eat," Zali explained. "It's the only way we can survive here. We work for them, and they feed us."

"Is it really that bad, Tsume? You used to do the same thing," Hige said.

Tsume rounded on him. "I may have used them, but I was never used _by _them!"

"And your opinion doesn't change a damn thing," Zali stated.

A whip cracked again, and the wolves continued to pull the cart. The old man began to pant and stagger slightly.

"No!" I breathed while Toboe whimpered.

"Gramps is in some serious trouble!"

The old man fell down, and a whip flew down on the ground beside him, cracking. He rose to his feet, took one step, and stumbled down again. The whip cracked a second time, but he didn't move. Angry tears pricked at my eyes.

I heard Zali gasp, and I turned to look at him. Following his gaze, I saw a shocked and torn-up Kiba standing at the base of the ramp. He snarled, and, turning into a wolf, ran up the ramp. Zali jumped down and intercepted him.

The human men started shouting and running over to Zali while he struggled to restrain Kiba. We just stared on in numbed silence.

We returned to the graveyard, and Zali and his wolves buried the old man. We stood off to the side while Kiba leaned against a gravestone, griping his shoulder.

Zali looked over at us. "I thought I told you not to interfere. We have our own way of doing things here."

"Living like a bunch of down-and-out strays? Clinging to this disgusting place? Doing what you do? How can you call that a life?" Kiba spat.

"What the hell do you know!" Zali snapped.

Kiba growled. "You're pathetic!"

Zali looked away. "You kids are still young," he murmured.


	9. The Successors

Chapter Nine: The Successors

**Disclaimer: I only own Kegawa.**

Toboe and I pressed some leaves onto Kiba's wounds back at the abandoned chapel while Hige and Tsume lounged around.

"Hopefully, that should help his wounds heal faster," Toboe said.

"Typical Kiba. He never thinks first, damn it," Hige said.

"At least he did something about it," I murmured, staring down at Kiba, who was resting at the moment. "How could he just sit there and do nothing?"

"He still shouldn't have butted in," Tsume snarled.

"Tsume…" Toboe said.

"Let's just get the hell outta here."

"But we shouldn't move Kiba right now. It's not a good idea," I insisted.

"Which is why we should've gotten outta here yesterday," Hige said.

"You're not helping," I growled at him.

"What happened to 'living here had more going for it than you thought'?" Tsume asked, smirking slightly.

I heard Kiba stir, and I turned to see him attempting to sit up.

"Let's go," he said, but Toboe forced him to lay down again.

"You're not going anywhere with these wounds and an empty stomach," he said.

"Well, I know someone who's stuffed," Tsume said, glancing at Hige.

"Cole was nice enough to bring us food, but you guys turned up your noses! It's rude to let food go to waste, so I had no choice but to eat it all myself," Hige defended himself.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes as Toboe muttered, "You could've left us some."

"You were the ones that wandered off on your own; not me!"

"Well, did you have a nice time on your date?" Tsume asked.

Hige sighed. "I dunno…There was something about her that seemed kinda lonely…"

"So what are we gonna do? We have to do something?" Toboe said.

"You mean something like impose on Cole's hospitality?" Hige suggested excitedly.

"No. Something like you getting food…by yourself!" Tsume snapped at him.

"By myself!?" Hige asked incredulously, but Tsume huffed at him. "All right, I'm going." He rose to his feet and went off.

"You know, it's probably not a good idea for him to go off by himself…"I said. No one answered me, so I got to my feet. "I'm gonna go with Hige and keep an eye on him."

Hige had managed to get way ahead of me, so I was running to catch up with him.

"Hige!" I called. "Hige, wait up!"

He stopped and turned to face me. "Hey, Kegawa."

We walked along in silence, and I noticed an abandoned toy buried in the snow. I closed my eyes sadly. Zali and his pack had it tough; how could anyone live like this? After a while, Hige glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

"So, why'd you follow me? Did you, ya know, change your mind?" he asked, bumping into me playfully and flirtatiously.

I laughed and shoved him back. "No. Someone needs to make sure you stay out of trouble."

He sighed sadly and looked away. "I should've known…You like Toboe better."

I stopped dead and gaped at him. "What!? I do not like To—" I stopped short when I noticed his disbelieving expression. "Is it that obvious?" I asked, heat rising into my cheeks.

Hige nodded. "I mean, I was kinda hoping you'd change your mind, but you just seem to like the runt better." He continued walking, and after a few heartbeats, I followed after him.

"So…Are you gonna tell the runt you like him?"

"I should, but…I'm not really good at expressing my feelings…" I said, trailing off.

Hige nodded thoughtfully, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"But I've got your back, you know. I'm still your friend," I told him gently.

He smiled. "Same here."

He stopped and sniffed the air. His eyes widened as a smile spread across his face. "All right, I smell fresh mutton!"

I also sniffed at the air. There was the scent of mutton, as Hige had said, but there was something else…Something wrong…I stiffened.

"Hige! Wait, no! It's a—" I turned towards him as I spoke, but it was too late; my fingers closed into a fist as a metallic clang filled the air. "—trap."

Hige started struggling, attempting to pull at the bars that closed him in. "Crap! Let me out!" He started gnawing at the metal.

I ran over and tugged. "Damn…" I muttered, straining my muscles as I tried to help him out.

He stopped abruptly, whining slightly. "My fangs are way too delicate for this."

"Shut up and help me!" I growled. "Or do you want me to leave you here?" I stopped, my ears pricking. "Someone's coming…Hige, I'm going to go get the others." I ran off.

"Kegawa!" he called after me.

I suddenly bumped into something, and fell down in the snow. "What the—? Toboe, what are you doing here?" I asked, blushing slightly as I looked up at him.

"Shh…" he said, peeking over a mound of snow.

I knelt by him and watched as some males from Zali's pack approached the cage.

Hige looked startled, then relieved. "Oh, good, it's you guys. I'm glad you're here."

"So, wolves still get caught in traps like this even today," one of them said.

"Yeah, am I embarrassed," Hige said sheepishly, rubbing his head.

"Well, that's what happens when you get cocky," another one said.

"Sorry…So, do ya think you can help me outta this thing?" Hige asked them.

"What d'you think? Should we help the kid out?" the first one asked the other two with him.

"These brats have been trouble from the start, meddling with our business," the third one muttered.

"Well…" Hige glanced away, at a tow truck approaching them. "Look, I'm sorry!" When they didn't do anything, he spoke again. "Come on, let me out!" They still did nothing, and he spoke again, clearly angry. "What's your problem? Are you just gonna stand there and watch me die?"

"Why shouldn't we? You stuck your nose where it don't belong. This is our turf," the first said.

"Is that right? Well, I wouldn't want help from a bunch of old dogs, anyway!"

"What?" the first growled.

"You're not wolves! You're not even dogs! You're lower than humans!"

"You little punk!" the first one said, grabbing Hige by the collar and punching him in the gut.

Hige fell to the ground in wolf-form, unmoving. The tow truck came to a stop by the cage, and two humans stepped out of it.

"Caught one right off the bat. And a big one, too. Good."

"It's too wild. It'd be better to put it down."

I started rising, but Toboe pulled me back down, though his eyes were clearly afraid. "What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?"

"We have to go get the others," I told him, trying to calm him…and stay calm myself. "Let's go." I helped him up and we hurried back to the chapel.

When we got there, Kiba was dressed and standing up, but he still looked like he was in pretty bad shape.

"Kiba, are you all right?" Toboe asked, momentarily distracted.

"Yeah…Are you two by yourselves?" Kiba said.

"Where's Porky?" Tsume asked.

"That's just it!" Toboe said. "He got caught in a trap, and they took him away somewhere!"

"Nngh," Kiba exclaimed.

"So what? All he has to do is fool the humans long enough and then get away," Tsume said.

"But he can't! He got knocked out by some of Zali's wolves!" I said.

Tsume growled. "Why the hell would they do something like that?"

I glanced back at Kiba and noticed he was shaking, his expression unreadable.

" Where were they headed?" Tsume demanded.

"I don't know!" Toboe said.

"How come you didn't warn us by howling? And what are you doing here? You should've followed them!"

"You're right…" Toboe murmured.

"Tsume, don't take it out on him!" I said, putting a finger in his face.

"Let's go," Kiba said, limping over to the door.

"Where to?" Tsume asked.

"The city," Kiba replied, going out into the snow-covered graveyard, and we followed.

Tsume jogged forward, and glanced at Kiba. "This is taking forever!" He turned and scooped Kiba up, slinging him over his shoulder.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Kiba insisted, flailing his arms a little as Tsume took off running.

"Hurry! If we don't, they're gonna kill him!" Toboe said as we followed on Tsume's heels.

"Tsume, put me down! I can walk on my own now!" Kiba said once we had entered the city.

Tsume stopped and set Kiba down, who went over to the nearest wall and leaned against it for balance. I looked down the street, and noticed the she-wolf from Zali's pack turn down another alley.

"That's the lady from yesterday!" Toboe exclaimed.

Kiba limped forward, using the wall to support himself, before running forward and turning into the alley. Tsume, Toboe, and I followed him. The she-wolf was there, as were the three wolves that sold Hige out to the humans. There were a couple of other wolves, too.

"It looks like last night's beating didn't sink in," one of the wolves said, and the others started laughing, but stopped, looking at something behind us.

We turned, and saw Zali standing there.

"Zali…" the she-wolf breathed.

"You ordered this?" Tsume growled.

"Ordered what?" Zali asked.

"Don't play dumb!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Is it true what we heard? You sold out our friend to those humans?" Kiba asked, dangerously low.

"How low will you mongrels sink?" I spat.

"What's going on here?" Zali asked his pack.

"Hell if I know." It was the one with the newsboy cap, the one that had knocked out Hige.

"Liar! You told them to kill him! We heard you tell those men to kill him!" Toboe shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the wolf.

"Moss!" Zali growled.

Kiba ran forward, fire in his eyes, but Zali jumped in front of him, pushing him out of the way. Zali's fit connected with Moss's face, who flew backward and fell to the ground.

"This is my pack!" Zali told Kiba, and turned back to Moss. "Why the hell did you sell out their friend?"

Moss got to his feet, rubbing his jaw. "He's an outsider."

"And Zali, it's not like you haven't been selling out your friends," the blond with the scarf said.

"What?"

"It's the truth, and you know it! You don't even do a _dog's _work."

"Is that how you really feel?" Zali asked.

Moss glared at him.

"As the leader, I thought I did what I did for the sake of the pack, without letting my personal feelings get in the way. Everything I've done was for the pack."

"Yeah, well, we don't see you as the leader anymore!" Moss said, running forward, the other wolves behind him, and they started beating up Zali.

Kiba took a step forward, as if to help, but someone ordered him to stay back; all we could do was watch.

"Stop it!" the she-wolf said. "Just stop it!"

"That's enough," Moss ordered. "Enough!" he yelled when the one with the scarf didn't listen.

Moss and the others looked like they were about to leave, but Zali stopped them.

"Wait…Where'd they take their friend, Moss?"

"I don't know…I don't know!" Moss said, and he and the other wolves left.

"Zali!" the she-wolf cried, running over and helping him sit up.

"You don't have any idea where they might've taken him?" Tsume asked.

"They put him on the back of an orange truck," Toboe added, probably thinking it might help us.

"If you…plan…to give up…on Paradise…and turn back…now might be a good time," Zali said.

"I don't have anywhere to go back to," Kiba told him. "All I can do is keep moving forward."

"Even if Hell is what we're headed towards," Tsume added, and Kiba glanced at him, surprised. "You might not have been able to find Paradise, but there's no doubt in my mind that…we will."

We all stared at him in surprise now. Tsume was the most skeptical, the one that was so sure that Paradise was a silly fairytale…And yet, here he was, saying he was positive we would find it…

Zali rose to his feet. "Come on."

"Zali…" the she-wolf said.

"I can still run," he told her, and turned to run down the alley.

We followed, leaving her behind. Zali led us to a street near a factory, and there was the orange tow truck, with Hige in the back. We ran down the slope, and in front of the truck. It started skidding, and flipped over on its side, the cage rolling away.

Hige looked up at us, and sighed in exasperation as he sat up. "Damn it…Do you guys have to be so rough?"

"Do you know how lucky you are to be alive?" Toboe asked him, hands on hips.

"Come on. You can get of there yourself, right?" Tsume said.

"Yeah, but that barbaric stuff isn't really my thing," Hige said dismissively.

We started gnawing at the bars of the cage to get Hige out.

"Damn dogs!" one of the humans said, climbing out of the truck and aiming a gun at us.

Zali jumped on him, clamping his jaws around his shoulder. While the human was distracted, we ran off. Zali brought us to the place the old man had brought us to the night before. He went into the tunnel, and he followed.

"This is the only way, right?" Toboe asked.

"Are you sure this tunnel is really safe?" Hige questioned.

The tunnel opened up to a much larger one, almost cavernous.

"This is as far as I go," Zali said. "From here on out, you kids are on your own."

"You mean you're not coming with us?" Kiba asked. "You're gonna keep living here?"

"I don't know if the place we tried to find was real or not. But I know there are some that can make it Paradise, and some that's can't. I'm convinced of that. And it's time for you to find out if Paradise exists."

"You know, you don't seem like much of a wolf," Tsume told him.

"Tsume!" Kiba said.

"A wolf looks out for its own. It's not natural for it to help another pack."

"You're right. I guess I really _have _fallen," Zali said with a smile.

After a silent moment, Kiba took off down the tunnel, and we followed him.

_Flowers are clever things. Even if it looks like they've vanished, they never really go away. You know, like a pack of wolves. As long as there's a moon, flowers will never die. And neither will us wolves._


	10. The Flower Maiden

Chapter Ten: The Flower Maiden

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Wolf's Rain', only Kegawa.**

We stopped to rest on the top of a plateau rising up in the middle of a grassy plain.

Hige was already asleep, snoring softly. Tsume and Kiba were nodding off, but they didn't give in to sleep; why, I have no idea. I was sitting away from them, near the edge of the plateau, my arms wrapped around my knees.

I turned my head slightly when Toboe sat down next to me. I smiled at him, and then turned my attention to staring out over the moonlight-bathed plain. After a silent moment, Toboe began to speak, hesitantly.

"So…Is it true? What Hige said? Back in the city?"

I glanced at him, noticing he was looking at me with a sort of puppy-dog look on his face, his head tilted to the side in that really adorable way of his.

"About what?" I asked, but I had a gut feeling I knew what Toboe was going to say.

"You know…when he said that it was obvious you liked me."

"You heard that?" I asked.

Toboe nodded earnestly, then abruptly sobered. "Is it true?"

"Yep," I said, leaning back on my arms and extending my legs. I tilted my head slightly and looked at him. "It's really cute when you do that."

He blinked, confused, and tilted his head. "Do what?"

"Tilt your head to the side, like now."

He laughed. "You think so?"

I nodded. "And what about you?"

Toboe's cheeks turned a delicate pink, and he looked down, avoiding my gaze.

"Come on," I said, bumping him playfully. "You can tell me. I won't be mad or anything, if you don't."

"I—I really—You—Uh…"

"Come on," I urged again.

"Ireallyreallyreallylikeyou!" he said in one breath.

"What?"

His blush deepened, and he took a steadying breath. He glanced at me, then looked away. "I really, really, really like you, Kegawa. I think you're really nice, and brave, and funny…I've never met anyone like you before."

Heat crept up into my cheeks; it was my turn to blush. "Thanks," I murmured.

Toboe scooted closer to me and gave me a hug; he was really warm. I closed my eyes with a sigh, leaning my head on his shoulder. The realization suddenly hit me; I had a pack once again. But this time was better, because I also had a mate. I had finally been able to move on, after all this time…

"You're cold," Toboe stated. He stood up and held out a hand.

I grasped hold of it, and he led me over to where the others were. I lay down, and after a moment, Toboe curled up next to me. I smiled.

* * *

"Come on, you two! You're gonna get left behind!" Hige called.

Toboe and I jumped, and hurried after the others, trying to avoid face-planting on the forest floor.

When we caught up to the other, Toboe asked, "Doesn't this forest seem kinda strange to you? I mean, there aren't any animals here."

"Tell me something—you do know that you're a wolf, right?" Hige asked.

"Huh?"

"Think about it, genius—they probably ran off when they saw us coming."

I glared at him. Someone had certainly been in a foul mood recently, especially with Toboe. Couldn't he just accept the fact that I had chosen Toboe instead of him?

"Oh…r-right," Toboe said.

"This is the problem when you take city kids to the forest," Hige muttered.

"You know, I haven't smelled the flower since we left that cave," Toboe said. "I wonder if we're really going the right way…"

Now that he had mentioned it, I hadn't smelled Lunar Flowers since then, too…

"You wanna give us a clue, here?" Tsume asked Kiba.

"Sure," Kiba replied with a nonchalant tone.

"Where exactly are we headed?"

"To Paradise."

"And what the hell is guiding you there?"

"Instinct."

We stopped. The others seemed to be incredulous and exasperated with his answer, but I liked that he was straight-forward. Besides, I felt that instinct was the best way to find Paradise.

"Here we go again," Hige said, smacking his forehead. "I just wish that it'd feel like we're getting closer…Not that I'm complaining, or anything."

Kiba stopped short with a slight gasp, and looked up at the sky through a gap in the canopy. There was the faint buzzing of a Noble's airship.

"That noise…" Tsume growled.

"It's an airship," Hige stated. "It must be one of the Nobles."

Toboe put his hands over his ears. "Ugh, I hate that sound."

After a while, red lights filled the air, and the sound of shots being fired at something could be heard. Another type of ship came into view, firing at the Noble's ship. There must've been a successful hit, because the ground started to shake from the shock waves of the impact.

Toboe screamed slightly, clinging to me. "What's going on?"

"Man, they're really going at it," Hige said.

"She's there…" Kiba murmured, and took a few steps forward.

"Hold it! It's nothing to do with us! Stay out of it!" Tsume commanded.

Kiba ignored him, still moving forward. "I can feel it."

"Feel what?" Hige asked.

"I'm not sure…But it's so familiar…" Kiba paused and turned to us. "Come on, don't you guys feel anything at all?" He turned again and ran off.

"Kiba!" Tsume called, taking off after him.

"Can you feel anything?" Toboe asked Hige before he ran after Tsume and Kiba.

"That guy is hopeless," Hige muttered, before running off after the others, and I followed.

The explosions in the sky continued, and I looked up. The Noble's ship was spiraling out of control, falling to the ground. But what looked like a…falling star also fell down to earth.

"Kiba!" Tsume called from ahead.

"Wait for us!" Toboe added.

"That sound…" Hige said, looking up.

The 'star' continued to fall, headed towards a small mountain in the middle of the forest. Kiba ran towards the same place. Once we reached its base, we began to climb. After a while, Hige sniffed the air.

"The scent is faint, but it's up there," he said.

"Why the hell are you so worked up?" Tsume asked Kiba, who was farther up than the rest of us.

"Aw, man…There's the stink of a Noble mixed in there, too," Hige said disgustedly.

"A Noble?" Tsume asked.

While those two were busy chit-chatting, Toboe and I climbed higher, trying to keep up with Kiba.

"Hey, Kiba!" Toboe called.

He paused and turned.

"I've got this fluttery feeling in my chest…Is that what you meant?"

Kiba nodded once. "Let's go."

Once we reached the top, we had to trek through some more trees. Kiba led the way.

"I don't why, but my heart's pounding…And I feel all warm and tingly inside," Toboe said breathlessly.

"Mmm…This is that cold feeling you get before pouncing on a pretty girl…" Hige murmured dreamily.

My eyes narrowed, and I smacked his head with as much power as I could get. But the others were right—there was this weird feeling inside me, like a pleasant magnetic pull towards something…

"Don't let your guard down," Tsume growled. "But there's a shiver down my spine, too…"

The trees began to thin, and I could smell water and plant life. Once we got out of the trees, I could see a lake and a waterfall.

"Wow…" Toboe said in awe.

And there, sitting on a rock and dipping her feet into the water, was the Flower Maiden. She turned to look at us, and we all gasped.

"It's her…It's really her!" Hige exclaimed.

"My heart just skipped a beat!" Toboe said, putting a hand over his heart.

"Who is that?" Tsume asked.

She stood up, and continued to stare at us. Kiba slowly started walking towards her.

"Hold on," Tsume warned.

Kiba continued towards the Flower Maiden, and we stood where we were in awed silence. Kiba stopped in front of her. She smiled, and began to pet Kiba, who had let his glamour fall. She knelt down and hugged him.

"I wanna be held like that…" Toboe murmured.

"Can that really be…?" Tsume asked.

"Yeah…" Hige said. "That's her. That's the Flower Maiden."

After a while, Kiba returned to human form, and Cheza took his hand. They began to walk off, and we followed after them. The Flower Maiden came to the top of a hill, and she turned back.

"This way! This way!" she called, waving a hand.

"That's Cheza, all right. The Flower Maiden," Hige stated.

"She's a flower and a maiden? That's pretty weird," Toboe said.

"Well, the way I heard it, some Nobles with too much time on their hands made her from a Lunar Flower in a lab somewhere."

"Made from a flower? Gimme a break. You really believe all that?" Tsume asked.

We were walking over a bridge, and for the first time, I noticed we were in a garden. It was quiet, peaceful…beautiful.

"She's standing right there, isn't she?"Hige asked, gesturing towards Kiba and Cheza.

"She smells nice, too," Toboe said. "Like a flower."

"Smell or no smell, I don't trust any of this," Tsume said pessimistically.

"Even though your heart skips a beat, too?" Toboe asked him.

"Well, I believe it," Hige said. When Tsume looked at him in surprise, he continued. "I mean, just think about it. As crazy as it seemed at the time, Kiba led us here on instinct, or whatever you wanna call it. Even if this all a big coincidence or something, at least it feels like we're one step closer."

"It sure does," Toboe agreed.

"And when you look at it, she's not my type at all," Hige continued. "It's such a bummer."

I rolled my eyes, and ran slightly ahead, so that I was in the middle of the gap that had grown between the rest of the pack, and Kiba and Cheza. Cheza led the way to some ruins, and then she let go of Kiba's hand and ran into a room. Kiba followed.

I stopped, and wrinkled my nose. Humans were here…And then I heard gunfire. I ran towards the room Kiba and Cheza disappeared into, and I could sense that the others were right behind me.

"Kiba, we're in serious trouble! I smell humans all over the place!" Hige exclaimed.

"I think we're surrounded!" Toboe added.

Tsume glared at Cheza, but when her gaze met his, his expression softened.

Kiba stepped in front of Cheza protectively. "No, it wasn't her."

"Come on, guys! We don't have time for this!" I said, stepping in between them. "We have to get out of here!"

"What d'you mean, get out of here? We're surrounded!" Hige said. "Where the hell are we supposed to go?"

Cheza stood up and walked away. Kiba followed her.

"Where the hell are you going?" Tsume called after him.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Hige asked.

The two disappeared.

"What do we do?" Toboe asked.

"We don't have much of a choice!" Tsume growled, and turned to go in the opposite direction.

"Kiba's lost it this time," Hige said, and followed Tsume.

Toboe looked both ways, clearly indecisive. "Kiba, wait for me!" he called, and ran in the direction Cheza and Kiba had gone.

"Toboe, wait up!" I called, following my mate.

Once we had caught up with them, Cheza led the way calmly. Suddenly, a soldier turned the corner and noticed us. He aimed his gun at us. Kiba pushed Cheza out of the way and leapt at him, snarling. His jaws clamped around the soldier's throat, blood spurting from the wound.

I sensed another soldier, and jumped into the air, pulling out the knife I had kept from my old days. He fired his gun at me, but I avoided getting hit, and sliced downwards. More gunfire sounded out, and I looked to see Cheza and Toboe hiding behind a rock.

Kiba and I ran forward, and found cover behind some rocks. We waited for an opportune moment to jump out and attack, but then the gunfire abruptly stopped. We exchanged a surprised glance and looked to see Tsume standing above the dead soldiers with his knife out, and Hige busy brushing his hands off.

Kiba and I ran forward to meet them.

"We're totally screwed! They've got that end completely blocked off!" Hige said.

"What do we do?" Tsume asked. "I we left her here, we could get away."

Kiba's eyes narrowed, and he stuck his face in Tsume's. "Forget it!"

There was gunfire in the distance.

"Guys!" Toboe called.

We looked over, and saw him standing by some sort of entrance. He waved his arm a bit, and slipped inside. We ran over, and saw that Cheza was a little farther down the tunnel.

"This way!" she called.

We exchanged a few looks, and followed her. Another soldier started firing at us. Kiba ran forward and punched him. The soldier fell off the ledge, since the wall had crumbled away there, and we kept running.

The end of the tunnel opened up into a cavernous chamber, the walls covered by tree roots and vines.

"What the hell?" Hige exclaimed.

"It's no use! There's no way to get outta here!" Toboe cried.

"We could try and surrender," Hige said.

Tsume glared at him, a growl rumbling in his chest.

Hige stiffened and laughed once nervously. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

We looked around, but there was no way out. I glanced at Cheza, and saw that she rested her hand on one of the roots. Suddenly, there was a hole big enough for us to slip through in the middle of the roots.

"This way," she called to the others, who looked over in surprise.

"Where did that giant hole come from?" Toboe asked.

Cheza went through, followed by Kiba. Toboe jumped beside me.

"The wall just moved!" he said.

"Well, I'm not complaining," Hige said. "Let's get outta here!"

We chased after Kiba and Cheza. Toboe paused at the hole and turned to Tsume.

"Come on!" he called.

After a brief hesitation, he followed. Now, we are one step closer…to Paradise.


	11. Song of Sleep

Chapter Eleven: Song of Sleep

**Disclaimer: 'Wolf's Rain' is the property of BONES.**

We came to a stop, and waited for the probe to leave. Once it did, we came out into the open and ran down the mountain path.

"Agh!"

I turned at the sound Toboe made, and saw Cheza at the very edge of the cliff. My breath caught in my throat, and let out in a gusty sigh when she turned and continued down the path.

Toboe sighed in relief. "She can tell?"

"She's a Flower Maiden, isn't she?" Hige said.

"Yeah…But how?"

"She uses her antenna!"

"She doesn't have any of them!"

"Sure you can't see them, but I bet they're there."

"Flowers don't have antennae, you dummy," I said, stretching up on tiptoes to bonk Hige on top of the head.

I turned to see Cheza had stopped a few feet away, staring at us.

"I wonder if she's on edge around us…" Toboe wondered aloud.

"It's because you're all on edge around her," Kiba stated.

"Who the hell wouldn't be on edge?" Tsume asked, and we all looked at him. "She's not a human or a wolf, or even a flower. How are we supposed to trust something like that? Especially when she was created by a Noble."

Kiba stared him down before he kept leading us down the path.

"Are we really takin' her with us?" Tsume asked after a while.

"Yeah," Kiba replied.

"What for?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Besides, it'd be mean to just leave her here," Toboe said. "Plus, it'd be nice to always have the scent of Lunar Flowers around."

"But isn't that why it makes her a danger to us?"

Kiba came to a stop, and the rest of us froze while Tsume continued.

"If she stinks up the place while we're movin', we might as well give up our location."

"Humans don't have a sensitive sense of smell," Kiba argued.

"But my eyes tell me she's trouble. What good is she to us?"

"Cheza is more important to us than anything else! If you were a wolf, Tsume, you should know this!"

"Sorry, but I don't!"

"She's gonna get us to Paradise!"

"I'm gettin' so sick of that word!"

By that time, the two of them were practically in each others' faces. I jumped forward.

"Come on, you two. Break it up," I said, placing a hand on each of their chests, futilely trying to push them apart.

The air filled with the sound of a really sweet voice. We all turned to see Cheza standing in a patch of moonlight, almost glowing. The song continued, and I swayed on my feet. I stumbled over to Toboe, who had sunk to the ground, and practically fell onto his lap.

"I feel…really sleepy…all of a sudden…" he murmured.

Through half-closed eyes, I could see Hige leaning against a tree, and Kiba at the base of another one. Tsume was the only one still standing.

"Damn it, Toboe! Don't fall asleep!" he growled, holding his head.

"Too late…"

"What the hell is goin' on?"

"I have no idea…I just…" Kiba's voice seemed to fade away as the song lulled me into a deep sleep.

* * *

_I was running with my pack, my parents flanking me, keeping me from straying away from the path the Alpha had set for us. A full moon was above us, and the scent of Lunar Flowers was in my nose. The forest around me was familiar…It was home…

* * *

_

"Kegawa…"

Someone gently shook my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see pale sunlight filtering through the canopy. I sat up suddenly, the blood rushing to my head.

"Whoa…" I put my head between my knees.

"Hey, Kegawa." I looked up to see Kiba staring at me.

Looking around, I noticed that Tsume was still asleep, and Cheza was kneeling by him, petting his head. Toboe and Hige were gone.

"Where'd Toboe and Hige go?" I asked.

"They went into town to find some food. I was going to see how many soldiers are there, that way we can keep moving."

"I'll come with you," I said, rising to my feet.

We entered the town, keeping to the back allies to avoid being seen. There were a few too many soldiers for my taste. Kiba peeked around another corner, before nodding to me. We ran back to where we had slept the previous night.

As we approached, I could see that Tsume had finally woken up.

"It's no use. Those people are covering every road off this mountain," Kiba said. "We're going to have to find another way out of here."

"Next time, don't leave it here alone with me," Tsume growled. "I'm not gonna be responsible."

"I tried to wake you up, but you didn't budge. Besides, you seemed pretty happy, wherever you were."

I bit back the urge to laugh.

"Oh, shut up! I was tired, that's all." Tsume stalked off.

Glancing over at Cheza, I noticed she was smiling. After a while, I heard running footsteps, and scented Hige and Toboe. The two burst into the clearing.

"Man, that was rough," Hige whined, doubling over.

"We're back," Toboe announced breathlessly.

"You two sure took a long time," Kiba remarked.

"The runt kept wandering off," Hige said. "Here." He threw a paper bag to Kiba. "Some food."

"We picked up some other things, too," Toboe said, holding up some sort of fur cape, and approached Cheza.

"What the hell is that for?" Tsume asked.

"It's a present," Toboe said proudly, and went to put it on Cheza's shoulders. "Here." He stepped back, smiling.

Cheza looked down, frowning.

"I guess…You don't like it?" Toboe asked, crestfallen. I went over and gave him a comforting squeeze.

"It sure looks that way," Kiba said.

"What'd I tell ya? Now, _these _are great." Hige set down a pair of pink rubber boots in front of Cheza.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Tsume warned.

Cheza's face lit up and she slipped them on. She stood up and spun around in a little circle, giggling.

"You like 'em, huh?" Hige said with a laugh.

Cheza's giggles filled the air as she spun around, but she suddenly stopped and looked to the path.

"Cheza?" Kiba asked, before following her gaze, as did the rest of us.

There was an old woman leaning against a gnarled walking stick, her face covered by a hood.

"Who are you?" Cheza asked.

Without answering , the old woman approached us. We silently watched her.

"You're wolves," she stated.

We gasped.

"Old lady, who are you?" Kiba asked.

She took off her sunglasses, and slowly opened her eyes. They were the same red color as Cheza's. We were speechless.

"Tell us, who are you?" Kiba asked again.

"They used to call us the Hanabito."

"This one could tell from your scent," Cheza said. "But you are not like this one?"

"That is true. You are not like my kind. You are a perfection creation."

"Perfect creation?" Kiba repeated.

"You must know I have been here waiting for you for a long time."

"I guess she wasn't a ghost," Toboe whispered to Hige, and I rose my eyebrow in confusion.

"That stench!" Hige suddenly exclaimed, whipping his head towards the opposite direction.

"It's those soldiers," I murmured.

"I got a feeling we shouldn't hang around here anymore," Tsume said.

The older Flower Maiden ran off, and we followed her.

"Do you think it's safe to follow her?" Toboe asked as we ran.

"If she's like Cheza, then we shouldn't have to worry," Hige replied.

She approached a tree covered with vines and flowers, and opened a secret door. We ran inside, and she closed the door behind us. We were in a dim room. The older Flower Maiden got a chair for Cheza, and sat down on a second one. We stood around the two of them.

"I felt them within my body. The terrible events that occurred. Those Hanabito who were the unfortunate and imperfect ones had no choice but to wither and die. I was fortunate enough to escape from the castle. In the forest at the foot of the mountain, I stayed in hiding for a long, long time. Before I knew it, I was left all alone. Even if you know nothing about yourself, I do. I know you very well, indeed."

"All this time, this one has been asleep, waiting just for him." Cheza smiled at Kiba, and he smiled back at her.

"The wolf seeks out the flower. The flower seeks out the wolf. And yet, no matter how you feel, you must not go with them."

"But why?"

"It will only lead to destruction!"

"Are you crazy?" Kiba growled.

"I'm not talking to you!" the older Flower Maiden snapped.

Kiba growled softly. "Let's go, Cheza."

Cheza stared at the ground, not making a move to leave. Was she okay?

"The faintest scent of a flower can offer is all I have left now, and soon, it, too, will fade completely."

"What should this one do, then?"

"You have the ability to sustain the life of a Hanabito. Stay here…"

"Cheza, don't listen to her!" Kiba insisted.

"Wolf, just what do you hope to achieve by taking this precious girl with you?"

"To get to Paradise," Cheza said.

After a silent moment, Tsume shushed us. "Be quiet!"

We looked out the window, and saw a blond woman approaching the tree.

"I smelled her back at the castle," Hige said. "I know I've seen her before, but I don't know where…"

"What now?" I asked, turning to face Kiba.

"Let's go," he replied. "Cheza, let's go."

We stepped out into the open, and jumped up into the treetops. The woman stopped in front of the tree, but seemed confused that the device in her hands had led here there. We jumped down, surrounding her.

"You're the kids I saw…Who are you? What's going on here?" She looked over, and noticed Kiba and Cheza coming out of the tree. "Cheza!" she gasped.

Kiba, holding Cheza's hand, jumped up to a ledge, momentarily dropping his glamour as he turned to stare at the woman. He resumed his glamour and turned to leave. We followed, running towards the town.

Cheza slowed down and came to a stop. "She's crying."

The rest of us stopped and stared at her.

"She will wither away…"

"You mean the old lady?" Kiba asked.

Cheza nodded and looked up at him. "Kiba, is it alright if this one stays with you?"

"Cheza, you _have _to stay with us."

She turned to Hige. "Hige?"

Hige laughed. "Sure! Why not? The more, the merrier."

"Toboe?"

He grinned in reply.

"Kegawa?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed.

"Tsume?"

We all looked at him.

He took a deep breath. "Fine, you can tag along. I can put up with you if it gets us to where we're going."

Toboe led us back to the place he had gotten the fur cape, and chose a pink one, putting the hood up so that it covered Cheza's hair. We walked through the crowded street, leaving the town.

"This one will be back," Cheza called, running off in the direction of the trees.

We sat down to wait for her. When she returned, she went over to Kiba and took hold of his hand. They watched the waxing moon that was still visible even in the daylight.

"Did one of you tell her about Paradise?" Tsume asked.

"I didn't."

"Nope."

"Unh-huh."


	12. Misgivings

Chapter Twelve: Misgivings

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Wolf's Rain'.**

Night had fallen. We were still in the town below the mountain. We walked past an alley. I sniffed the air, and looked into it, surprised. Tied to a post was the black wolf-dog that belonged to the wolf hunter. She had her teeth bared, a growl rumbling in her chest.

Cheza stopped beside me, staring at her.

"Cheza?" Kiba doubled back and looked at her.

The wolf-dog, who had fallen silent upon spotting Cheza, suddenly growled again.

"We have a friend, even here," Cheza said, going over to the wolf-dog. She knelt down and reached out to pet her, but Kiba stopped her. "It is all right," Cheza reassured him.

Kiba stepped back, and I cautiously approached.

"You do not know what you are. You never did," Cheza said to her. "There is some wolf inside you, too."

Kiba gasped. The wolf-dog looked shocked, and recoiled from Cheza's hand.

"You were alone your whole life, were you not?"

I sensed someone was coming. I tugged on Kiba's sleeve. "We have to go!" I hissed.

"Cheza!" He took hold of her hand, and we ran to catch up with the others.

We found refuge in a run-down bus in the junkyard. When morning came, the others made plans to find an escape route.

"Once we catch wind of what they're up to, we'll come back," Tsume said.

"Cheza, stay here with Toboe and Kegawa," Kiba told us.

"Leave it to us!" Toboe reassured him.

The others left the bus. Toboe stuck his head out one of the windows.

"Don't be too long, okay!"

He retreated back inside, and we sat down on the floor. Cheza knelt in a patch of sunlight, and I lay down, resting my head in Toboe's lap. He stroked my hair.

"I like this, the idea of friends waiting for friends. It's really nice," he said with a smile. He glanced at Cheza, who had her face lifted to the sun.

After a while, she opened her eyes and smiled. "This one is stuffed! And you?" she asked, looking at us.

"Sure!" Toboe said.

"This way!"

"Huh?" I got to my feet and peeked out of the window. Three soldiers were chasing three little boys with paper bags in their arms. I smiled sadly.

"Hey, Kegawa, come over here!" Toboe called, leading Cheza over to the seats. They hid behind one.

"What are you doing?" I asked, amused.

"Waiting to scare the others!"

I giggled. "You're such a pup!"

He gave me a cheesy grin. I laughed again and hid with them. Not long after, I sensed Kiba was coming. When he entered the bus, we jumped out.

"Boo!" Toboe exclaimed.

Kiba didn't look amused. Toboe laughed nervously.

"What took you so long? Oh, hey, welcome back!"

We looked over to see that Hige had returned.

"How'd it go?" Kiba asked.

"They've really got us surrounded this time…So we'll have to move at night."

Kiba nodded. "There's a place not far from here. The humans call it the Forest of Death."

"Sounds creepy," Toboe said, rubbing his arms.

"They say if you get lost in it, you never come out," Kiba continued, and I shuddered.

"Well, with our noses, getting through there should be a piece of cake," Hige said.

"Right," Kiba agreed.

Tsume entered the bus.

"How's it lookin'?" Hige asked him.

"I found the perfect escape route."

"That settles it. We're leaving tonight."

"All right!" Toboe cheered.

* * *

Hige, Tsume, and I were acting as decoys, so that Kiba and the others could follow Tsume's escape route to the Forest of Death. We would be focusing all the soldiers' attention on us. We watched their camp, waiting for Tsume's signal.

"Let's go," he finally said.

"What!...Roger…The commander says they got away!"

I tapped the shoulder of the soldier that had spoken. "Who got away?" I asked sweetly.

Before he had a chance to react, I punched him in the face, and Hige took out his companion.

"They're here!" another soldier said into his radio. "All soldiers—"

Tsume jumped down, jabbing a pressure point to knock him out. The remaining soldiers started firing at us as we jumped up onto the mountainside.

"You think we got their attention?" I asked.

"Yeah…Let's meet up with the others," Tsume said, leading the way.

After a while, we jumped down, landing in front of the others.

"Sorry we took so long," I said breathlessly, my eyes sparkling.

"Operation successful!" Hige said, giving a thumbs up.

The others smiled, and Hige started laughing.

A bullet hit the ground near Toboe's feet, and we all jumped back. Looking up, we could see the wolf hunter glaring at us, rifle in hand.

"You damn wolves! You won't fool me again!" He cocked the gun and fired another shot.

We split up, trying to avoid getting shot, but each time he nearly hit us, easily following us. Hige, Tsume, Toboe, and I ran into the cover of the trees, but I turned back to see Kiba stand in front of Cheza protectively, taking a bullet to the shoulder.

"Kiba!" I yelled, preparing to run out into the open, but Tsume stopped me.

The wolf hunter pulled the trigger, but he was out of bullets. The time he used to reload was enough for Kiba to grab Cheza and run to us.

We ran deeper into the woods, a yell and five empty gunshots piercing the silence.


	13. Moon's Doom

Chapter Thirteen: Moon's Doom

**Disclaimer: I only own Kegawa.**

"Man, this place is depressing," Hige said as we trekked through the empty forest.

All the trees were bare and close together, the branches forming an impenetrable mass. An unearthly mist filled the air.

"It's the Forest of Death…duh!" I said.

"That's the reason the humans can't follow us in here," Kiba called over his shoulder.

"I know we don't have to rely on compasses, or whatever, but shouldn't there be some animals? Like a rabbit?"

"A rabbit? In other words, you're hungry," Toboe said, smirking.

"Sue me, alright!"

"Once we're out of here, we'll probably come across a town. Just hang on until then," Kiba reassured.

"If we make it out of here alive, that is," Tsume said, kicking a skull that had been left behind.

"Agh!" Toboe exclaimed, jumping back. There was a crunching noise, and Toboe jumped back again, crashing into me. A bug took flight and came straight at Toboe's face. He yelled, attempting to protect his face. Tsume's hand shot out, grabbing the bug around the middle.

"There are plenty of bugs, though," Tsume said, examining it.

"Thanks, Tsume," Toboe said.

"Can you get off me, please?" I asked.

"Sorry, Kegawa!" Toboe exclaimed, jumping up and helping me to my feet.

"I've never seen a bug like this…" Tsume stuck the bug in Hige's face. "Here."

Hige exclaimed in disgust.

"You're hungry, aren't ya? Eat it."

"Why the hell should I?"

"Cuz you've got the strongest stomach," I said with a smirk.

"Eat it," Tsume repeated.

"I ain't your taster! And how come you're giving me orders? You're not the leader! Right?" Hige glanced at Kiba, who didn't reply. "Ugh…Hey, I know! Let's give it to Cheza!" Hige grabbed the bug and danced over, offering it to Cheza. "I bet you're hungry."

Kiba's hand sliced downward, knocking the bug out of Hige's hands. "Cheza does not eat bugs!"

"Well, what should we feed her?"

"This one does not eat…anything," Cheza said.

"Not a thing?"

"Now that you mention it, I've never seen her eat anything," Tsume stated.

"She drank some water that one time," Toboe pointed out.

"This one drinks and basks."

"Basks in what?" Kiba asked.

Cheza smiled at him, and looked up at the thick canopy, and we followed her gaze. She frowned.

"But not here."

"Sunlight!" I exclaimed.

"Makes sense; she _is _a flower…" Hige said.

We continued through the woods. Suddenly, there was a cry of pain. I looked back, and saw Toboe sitting down, rubbing his ankle. I ran back over to him, and knelt down.

"Are you okay?" I demanded, already beginning to unlace his boot.

"I'm fine," Toboe insisted, but he winced as I pulled it off. He gingerly flexed his foot.

"Let me see," Kiba said, kneeling down beside me. "It doesn't look sprained."

"Ow!" Toboe exclaimed when Kiba gently probed his ankle.

"Like I always say, you can't take city kids to the forest," Hige said.

"Do you think you can walk?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah, I can walk just fi—Ow!" Toboe tried to stand up, but fell back down again.

Cheza approached and knelt down, petting Toboe's ankle.

"Thanks, Cheza," Toboe murmured.

"Does that feel good?" Hige asked.

"Yeah! It's like the pain is melting away!" Toboe started laughing.

"Um…Cheza? Could you pet me, too?" Hige asked.

Cheza obliged, and Hige started laughing.

"C'mon, Tsume! Let Cheza pet you, too! It's unbelievable!" Toboe called.

"She smells so good!" Hige exclaimed.

"Cheza…Um, me, too?" I asked.

Her fingers ran through my hair, and I let out a laugh. It felt really good.

"Can we go now?" Tsume's irritated voice interrupted us.

"Are you okay to walk now?" I asked Toboe after glaring at Tsume.

"Yeah," he replied, pulling his boot back on.

We kept going.

"This forest ain't so bad once you get used to it. There's nothing to fight over, and no humans around," Hige said.

"And there's plenty of bugs to eat if we get hungry," Toboe teased.

"Fat chance, runt!"

"Then don't complain when we don't share," Tsume said.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: who the hell died and made you leader?" Hige snapped.

"Ours isn't the kind of pack that has a leader," Kiba said.

"Then what kind of pack _are _we?" Tsume asked.

"That doesn't matter, right?" Toboe said, trying to keep the peace. "I know! When we finally get outta here, what's the first thing you wanna do?"

"What do you think?" Hige asked.

"Eat as much as I can," Tsume said.

"Eat, and sleep," Kiba stated.

"Eat until I burst, and then bask in the moonlight," I sighed.

Toboe's stomach growled. "I guess you're right…"

"Isn't it obvious, ya moron?" Hige said.

I smacked his head.

"Cheza!"

We looked over at Kiba to see him catch Cheza before she fell. Her breathing was labored.

"You must be exhausted. We'll stop here and rest a while."

"It is alright; this one is fine."

"A bird!" Hige suddenly exclaimed.

"Where?" Toboe asked as we turned to see him staring up into the branches.

"It's the Forest of Death. You must be seein' things," Tsume told him.

"No! I'm sure I heard the flapping of wings above us. It was from an owl, which means…We've got meat!" Hige ran off into the trees.

"Hige, come back here!" Tsume called, but Hige had already disappeared. "Damn it…Stay here," Tsume ordered, chasing after Hige.

After a while, Cheza collapsed again, looking feverish. Toboe howled.

"Hang in there, Cheza!" Kiba said frantically.

"What's wrong?"

Tsume and Hige approached us.

"I don't know…She just collapsed all of a sudden…" I explained.

"Is she…withering?" Tsume asked, noticing the veins on her neck that popped out.

"She needs water…Even sunlight would help!" Kiba said.

"But there isn't any! The woods are too thick, and the ground's too dry," Tsume said. "We'll never find any water here."

Kiba clamped a hand on his shoulder. "We have to! We still have to try!"

After a silent moment, Tsume nodded. Kiba nodded to him, and hoisted Cheza onto his back. We continued through the forest until we came to a fork.

"Which way should we go?" Toboe asked.

Hige sniffed the air. "I say to the right."

"Can you smell any water from here?" Kiba asked him.

"Not a drop, but standing here isn't helping us any!"

"Here isn't helping! Here isn't helping!"

I looked up, noticing an owl in the branches. So Hige hadn't been lying…

"It's an owl…" Kiba said.

"The damn thing's back!" Tsume growled.

"It can't be helped if there is no light. It can't be helped if there is no water. It can't be helped if the flower is withering."

"What did you say?" Kiba demanded.

"Wait! That owl probably lives here, and that means it probably knows where there's some water," Toboe said.

"All right, tell us!" Kiba demanded. "What's the closest source of water?"

The owl didn't reply; it just tilted its head to the side and back again, blinking.

"The damn thing is playing with us!" I snarled.

"Cut the theatrics and spill it!" Hige said.

"Do you live here, or not?" Kiba asked. "She has to have water now!"

"Kiba…Kiba, who are you talking to?" Cheza asked weakly.

"To an owl."

"An owl?"

"Whoo…"

"Isn't there any water in this forest?" Kiba demanded again.

The owl took flight. "Go astray, go astray, my good wolves! Answers always lie in confusion!"

We chased after the owl.

"We can't lose it!" Tsume said.

"You never find what you're looking for. If the searcher were to find what is searched for, it would become a mere object! Whoo!" The owl landed on a branch near the entrance of a cave. "The answer lies within the darkness. The answer lies within confined spaces. Only those who bravely enter will be rewarded."

"Uh…Is that a riddle?" Toboe questioned.

"Birdbrain wants us to go inside," Hige spat.

"Does that mean there's water inside?" Toboe asked.

Kiba approached the cave entrance, but Hige stopped him.

"Don't go in there! Are you gonna believe what some old owl tells ya? This whole thing stinks!"

Kiba shrugged away from him. "Then you tell me where we can find water! We don't have any other choice at this point!"

Kiba entered the cave, and the rest of us reluctantly followed.

"I swear, we passed this thing before…" Hige murmured.

"So, we're going in circles?" Toboe asked.

"This stupid place is like a maze. And it all looks the same…" Tsume grumbled.

"We went left last time," Kiba said, starting to the right, but he stumbled. "Damn it all!"

"Take it easy, will ya?" Tsume growled.

Kiba glared at him.

"Do you want me to carry her?" Toboe offered.

"Can you carry her?" Kiba snarled. "Answer me!"

"Well, I…"

"I'm fine! We don't have time to rest!"

"Kiba!" I snapped.

"Cut the crap, will ya? We can't trust your nose, because the scent of flowers has screwed it up," Tsume said.

"My nose is fine!"

"Put Cheza down, Kiba."

"Do you still distrust her, Tsume?"

"With the way you've been acting, it's _you_ we can't trust. As leader, you have to be calm and detached, and right now, you don't have that. It's impossible to be right all the time."

"Stay outta my way!"

"Is that a threat?"

The two were baring their teeth at each other.

"Stop it, both of you!" I commanded, jumping between the two of them and glaring at both of them. They stopped glaring at each other to stare at me in surprise. "What?" I asked, confused.

Kiba murmured, "Alpha female."

"Are those bones?" Toboe asked suddenly, though it seemed he was trying to change the subject.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Toboe and Hige examining a pile of bones on the cave floor.

"Human bones?" Hige questioned.

"I'm not sure…I think they're from a bird…"

"A bird?"

"Could this be…an owl?"

Suddenly, a bug burst out of the ground, climbing up Hige's leg.

"Nngh!" I leapt over to his assistance.

He kicked the bug off, and it hit a rock, curling into a ball. But soon more of them came out towards us, surrounding us.

"There's a million of them!" Toboe exclaimed.

One of the bugs came flying at Tsume's face, but he hit it away.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted that damn owl!"

"Let's get out of here!" Hige said.

"Where can we go?" Toboe asked frantically.

"Cheza!" Kiba cried.

I turned and detached a bug from Cheza's back. "Stupid thing!" I cried, throwing it, and Toboe stomped on it.

It let out a squeal, and we fought to keep the bugs away from Cheza.

"Kiba!" I heard Tsume yell. "Up here!"

"Tsume!"

Tsume and Kiba joined us as we face the onslaught of bugs. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see they were all smirking, and I couldn't help but feel a smile tug on the corners of my lips.

"Are wolves gonna lose to a bunch of bugs?" Tsume asked.

"Though I must admit we both like to hang around flowers," Toboe said.

"Nicely said, runt," Hige smirked.

"Here they come," Kiba said in anticipation.

"Bring it on," I growled, crouching.

The bugs attacked, biting into our skin. However, we flung them off, attacking with tooth and claw. I bit down on a bug that had latched onto Toboe's hind leg, tossing aside the carcass. The numbers of bugs were dwindling, but more kept coming, and we were getting tired.

Cheza fell down from the ledge she had been on, and starting running towards the wall where the bugs were thickest.

"Cheza!" Kiba yelled.

"Damn it!" Tsume growled.

We followed Cheza.

"What are you doing?" Toboe asked.

"That way…! Through there!"

She fell through a crack, and we followed, going down a small slope that opened up to a small cavern full of plants.

"Cheza!"

"No, wait," Tsume said, stopping him.

The plants started munching on the bugs that had unwittingly followed us.

"Cheza…" Kiba knelt down beside her.

"This one is fine."

"Thank goodness."

"This one heard them. They said they were hungry."

"Plants that eat bugs, huh?" Tsume asked.

"I guess this means we were saved by Cheza's friends," Hige said.

""Guys, I see light! It's the way out!" Toboe called, pointing.

We followed him, and found the exit, stepping out into a beautiful clearing with a small lake in the center. The moonlight was making the water sparkle. Toboe ran out into the open.

"There's water, and moonlight, too!"

"Water! Yes!" Hige cheered, running forward and jumping into the lake.

Toboe and Tsume laughed and jumped in, too. I giggled and watched them, kneeling at the water's edge.

"Come on, Kegawa! The water feels great!" Toboe said.

"No, thanks!" I giggled.

"Why not?" Hige asked.

"Because!"

"You're coming in!" Tsume said, grabbing my wrist.

"No!" I yelled before Tsume pulled into the water. I surfaced, sputtering, and laughed before proceeding to splash the others.

"Drink up, runt!" Hige said, grabbing hold of Toboe's head.

"I've had plenty!" Toboe insisted, flailing his arms a little.

"Aw, c'mon!" Hige whined, getting ready to dunk him.

"Hige, leave him alone!" Tsume said.

We stopped playing and looked over at Cheza. She had stepped into the water, and was practically glowing in the moonlight.

After we had replenished ourselves, Cheza put us to sleep with her song.


	14. Vanishing Point

Chapter Fourteen: Vanishing Point

**Disclaimer: I only own Kegawa.**

We entered yet another town. It looked like a dump, and some guys wolf-whistled at me and Cheza, but that didn't matter. There was going to be a full moon that night!

"What a seedy-lookin' town," Hige said.

"My kind of place," Tsume added, looking around.

Kiba laughed. "I'll bet."

"Smell the danger in the air? My blood's on fire!"

"Me, too! Me, too!" Toboe claimed, pumping his arm, before Hige tackled him and got him in a headlock.

"Pretty big talk for someone who's scared all the time! That's not the only reason you're fired up, is it, runt? For one thing, tonight's—"

"Yeah, a full moon," Kiba interrupted.

I tackled Hige, forcing him to let go of Toboe, and held onto his arms.

"Hey, kid! Let go!" he whined.

"Then pick on someone your own size!" I laughed, releasing him. "You should know I'm a lot more like Tsume than I let on."

Toboe got to his feet. "I know we get our strength from the moon, but what about Cheza? She looks like she's glowing, too."

We all looked at Cheza.

"Yeah…" Kiba said. "'Once a year on the night of the full moon, flowers will hear the moon's call and return to Paradise.' That's a legend I heard once."

"So, tonight, she'll…?" Tsume asked.

"I'm not sure if it's tonight…I guess we'll have to wait and see," Kiba replied.

"What's gonna happen?" Toboe asked.

"You're not sayin' that Cheza's gonna bloom, or somethin', are you?" Hige sounded incredulous.

"Maybe…" I murmured.

Cheza turned. "This one is excited, too!"

We waited until night had fallen, and then we went to the highest part of the town, where there was a big round fountain. The moon was huge and round. Cheza stepped into the fountain.

"So, this is it," Tsume said.

"Yeah…Right about now, I feel like I could almost anything!" Hige sounded pumped up.

"We've all seen a full moon before, but it seems different since Cheza's with us, doesn't it?" Toboe asked.

Tsume punched the air. "Oh, man! I just wanna howl my head off!"

"Yep," I agreed.

"Something's about to happen…" Kiba murmured.

Cheza began spinning, and we ran in circles around her. After a while, we stopped and howled at the moon. We then fell silent and stared at the white orb.

I scented Lunar Flowers, a lot of them, and I looked down at my paws to see a whole bunch blooming below us. Looking off in the distance, I could see the Lunar Flowers forming a path…to Paradise.

I sensed the others were as awed as I was.

"It's the path to Paradise!" Hige said.

"Is that…really what it is?" Tsume asked.

"It's amazing!" Toboe said.

Cheza took off running down the path, and we followed. But then there was the sound of a Noble's ship. We all stopped and looked up. Briefly looking down, I noticed that the path had disappeared. The ship approached, and landed a few yards away.

The door opened, and a Noble stood there. His hair was long and blue, one eye electric blue and the other covered by an eye patch.

"The wolves…It's been a long time," he said.

"That stench…He's a Noble?" Tsume asked.

"What are you doing here?" Kiba demanded.

"Was your little dream pleasant?" the Noble asked, coming towards us. "The one where you were going to Paradise?"

"What? Dream?" I repeated, confused.

"The time has not yet come for that," the Noble said. "Return to me, Cheza."

Cheza gasped, backing away.

"Get out of our way?" Kiba growled, running at the Noble.

"It is futile."

Kiba encountered some sort of force field, and he was thrown backward. Suddenly, lasers shot out from the ship. Kiba jumped out of the way of the first one, but the second sent Toboe flying.

"Toboe!" I screamed, running towards him, but a third shot sent me up into the air. I landed on the ground with a heavy _thud_, and everything went black.


	15. Don't Make Me Blue

Chapter Fifteen: Don't Make Me Blue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kiba, Hige, Tsume, Blue, Cheza, Toboe, or anything else that is associated with 'Wolf's Rain'.**

I struggled to my paws. Looking up, I saw that clouds were rolling in to cover a blood moon. Looking around, I saw that the others were still out cold. Kiba, however, was staring up at the sky. Cheza was gone, as was the Noble.

"No…" I breathed.

* * *

We returned to the town and found a place to rest in an old abandoned warehouse.

"Damn him…I'm gonna kill that Noble!" I growled quietly.

"You up and movin' already?" Hige asked.

I looked over and saw Kiba had woken from his nap and was massaging his shoulder.

Hige looked around. "Come on, guys! I know we've been through a lot, but what's with all the moping?"

I growled at him.

"Uh…" He scooted away from me.

I began to play with Toboe's hair.

"I couldn't sleep," he explained.

"Well, neither could I!" Hige said.

"You slept like a log, just like always," Tsume told him, sitting up.

"Look, I'm just as shocked and frustrated as the rest of ya," Hige said. "But none of that is gonna help us figure out what the hell we're supposed to do now. Are we just gonna live here for the rest of our lives? Somebody say somethin', damn it!"

"Shut up!" I said, glaring at him. "There, I said something."

Hige sighed in frustration. "Kiba, you haven't said a single word to any of us since everything happened!"

"Drop it," Tsume warned.

"Leave him alone. Kiba was hurt the most, remember?" Toboe said.

"It's not that…It's just…I'm really pissed off," Kiba growled.

"She went that way!"

We all looked to the warehouse entrance.

"Come back here, damn it! She's over there!"

Suddenly, the black wolf-dog came into view. We all gasped. The dust she had kicked up cleared, and revealed her human glamour: a tall tan woman with short black hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a black coat, almost like a short dress, black thigh-high boots, and a red neck scarf. Only Toboe and Tsume seemed surprised to see she had a glamour.

"Wow, what a babe!" Hige said.

"Figures," I muttered.

"She's got friends."

We looked up, and saw three human men in the doorway.

Hige pushed the wolf-dog behind him in a protective manner. "Yeah. What's it to you?"

"Hand over the girl." The one that had spoken eyed me. "Both of them."

"Why should we?" Hige demanded.

"That one's our merchandise. But there's nothing wrong with bringing in more dough."

"Move." The one that appeared to be their leader nodded to the others. "You guys aren't from around here, are you?"

"Yeah, so what if we aren't?" Hige was still talking tough.

"There's a big demand for young bodies."

"People will pay top dollar for healthy organs.

They were closing in on us, crowbars in hand. They attacked, but we jumped out of the way.

Tsume rolled his head around. "You don't expect us to give up our bodies, do ya?" he asked and attacked.

It was way too easy. They kept swinging at us with their crowbars, but we just jumped out of the way. After a while, we managed to disarm them, and Kiba, Hige, and Tsume pinned them down to the ground in wolf-form. That should give them a good scare.

"It's the curse of the House of Darcia!"

Kiba lunged, but stopped a few inches away from the guy's face. We ran out of the warehouse, their screams echoing behind us. We found refuge in a nearby dump.

Tsume laughed. "Did you see those stupid looks on their faces?"

"I know! That felt terrific!" Toboe said, which surprised me. I had never thought that he got excited by the rush of adrenaline, of scaring humans.

Kiba sat down, and Toboe asked him if he was okay. Kiba nodded.

"And what about you? Are you alright?" Hige asked the wolf-dog.

"Yeah. Thanks for the help."

"We didn't do it for you," Tsume snapped. "Those idiots just caught us when we were in a bad mood."

"She was just thankin' us!" Hige defended. "No need to be so harsh! Besides, it's not like we run into girls every day."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" I muttered under my breath, sitting down as Hige turned to the wolf-dog again.

"I'm Hige," he introduced.

"My name is…Blue." Her expression softened, and then she looked at the rest of us. "It's been a while, huh?"

"Wait, you know each other?" Hige looked between Blue and us.

"I suppose you could say that…" Kiba said.

"You did some pretty nasty stuff to us when you were with that human," Tsume growled.

"Where is he, anyway? The old guy?" Toboe asked.

"Something happened, and we got split up."

"He was still tracking us in the last city," Kiba said.

"I know," Blue said. "That's why he was there. Pops will track down a wolf to the ends of the earth."

"But…aren't you a wolf, too?" Toboe asked.

Instead of answering, Blue's face lit up. "Isn't that girl with you? The one that was traveling with you, with the…really strange scent…"

"You mean Cheza?" I questioned.

"Cheza…?" Blue murmured the name.

Hige jumped to his feet. "Let's just say we shouldn't talk about that, okay? I know!" he suddenly exclaimed before continuing. "Why don't we look for some food?" He turned to Blue. "I mean, we _did _just bump into each other, and, besides, there's a whole mess of danger for a girl all on her own in a place like this."

"Not a chance," Tsume said, getting to his feet.

"Why not?" Hige demanded, turning to face him.

"As if I'd wanna hang around with her. She did everything she could to hunt us down."

"Yeah, but—!"

Toboe interrupted. "You're only saying that 'cause it didn't happen to you."

Blue laughed. "Forget it. I don't hang around with a bunch of kids, either. See you around." She waved and ran off.

"Hey!" Hige called out after her before turning to us. "Weren't you a bit cold?" He turned and chased after her. "Hey, wait up! It's dangerous!"

"Hige!" Toboe called after him.

Tsume flopped down again. "His tail wags whenever a girl's around. Just let him go."

"Back in the city, Cheza told her she was half-wolf," Kiba said.

"Half-wolf?" Toboe seemed fascinated by the idea.

"I guess the wolf side woke up after meeting Cheza…"

"You think she's okay?" Toboe asked, looking into the distance.

None of us had an answer.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky a warm yellow-orange color, and Hige still hadn't returned. Toboe, as usual, grew concerned.

"Once he gets dumped, he'll come sulking back," Tsume said.

"Don't worry about him," I added, holding Toboe's hand and playing with his fingers.

He sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna go take a look around. Just take it easy until I get back." He ran off.

I watched him go, then decided to follow. It took me awhile to find him, but once I did, I found he had located Hige and Blue on a bridge, and was eavesdropping on them.

"What are you do—?"

He grabbed my hand and pulled me down to kneel beside him. "Shh!"

Blue explained why she was close to the old wolf hunter, and how they had lost the rest of their family. After some time, Hige started his attempts at flirting with her, and Blue laughed. After a pause, she turned to him and asked him to go with her, anywhere they felt like going.

"Sounds tempting…" Hige murmured. "Hey, what the hell are you two doing here?"

Toboe and I stepped out of hiding. I felt like a pup again, getting caught doing something I shouldn't have done.

"We just happened to be passing by," Toboe replied with a nervous laugh and went over.

There was a gunshot in the distance. We all froze and looked to where it had sounded from.

"What was that?" Toboe asked.

"Damn!" Hige jumped off the bridge, and we followed. "Hey, what are you doing? We gotta go!" He called up to Blue when he noticed she hadn't followed.

After a slight hesitation, she ran after us. We returned to the dump, but Tsume and Kiba were nowhere to be found. There was blood splattered around.

"Looks like someone was shot!" Toboe's voice trembled slightly, and there was another gunshot.

We took off running again, and found Tsume and Kiba outside of a trailer. The old man had a rifle pointed at them, and his wife was trying to talk him out of shooting. Hige skidded to a halt when he saw the gun, and I froze in my tracks for a completely different reason.

_Okaasan…Otousan…_I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to cry.

Blue ran forward in her other form, dodging the bullet that was fired at her, and came to a stop in front of the man, tilting her head slightly to the side. He lowered the gun slightly as he met her eyes.

"We're not going to do anything to you, so please leave us alone," Kiba said as Hige and Toboe joined the others.

I forced myself to move forward, joining my pack.

"I don't wanna fight if there's no reason to," Kiba continued. "I don't wanna kill."

There were voices in the distance. They were looking for us.

"Those people want to capture us, and then sell us to the highest bidder. It's up to whether we can avoid bloodshed," Tsume said.

It seemed like a long time, but the old man agreed to help. He fired blank shots at us as we lay on the ground, unmoving.

"Die, you damn wolves! Take this! And this!" he yelled.

"Did you kill them?" one of the men asked.

"Stop it, that's enough!" the old woman cried.

The old man put on a good show of having lost his mind, while his wife tried to calm him down.

"Dammit…Those things are worthless if they're dead…Let's go…" The men left.

We waited a while longer before moving. Blue sat beside the old man, and he petted her, while his wife cooked chicken legs for us to eat. As we ate, she apologized for her husband thinking that we were wolves. They were traveling on the road, because he had wanted to spend what time they had left together. She also mentioned the Castle of the Darcias, to the west.

"Castle of the Darcias?" Kiba breathed.

"It's as if everything has given up its will to live…" the old woman sighed.

"No, it hasn't," Kiba told her. "He isn't getting confused. We _are _wolves."

"You ready?" Hige asked, and Toboe nodded.

"Goodbye, Mister. Take care," Blue said, getting to her feet in human form.

We ran off.


	16. Detour

Chapter Sixteen: Detour

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Wolf's Rain'.**

**Note: I know, right? Nile is actually updating! It's the end of the world! No, not really…It just means that Nile is home sick, and has nothing better to do…This chapter is kinda replacing the episode, "Men's Lament", seeing as our favorite wolf pack was only in it once…**

Toboe stood on top of a bit of stone railing and I sat cross-legged beside him. Tsume leaned against it while Hige and Blue sat on a bench a few feet from us. Kiba stood a little ways away from the rest of us, staring of into the distance. I sighed, fiddling with the choker around my neck. That old couple had forced some painful memories to the surface of my mind…

"So…they went that way, right?" Toboe asked.

"Sure did," Hige answered.

Toboe shifted his weight a little, turning his head to look at him. "Are we going?"

"We have to."

"Where are you guys headed?" Blue asked curiously.

"We're trying to make our way to Paradise," Hige told her.

"Paradise?"

"Every wolf has to try to do it."

I glanced back at him. "Not true, you dummy. You know that we all could have easily stayed in Freeze City, all those moons ago…None of us had to follow Kiba this far…"

"But we _did _follow him. Doesn't that say something? Doesn't that prove I'm right?"

"Not necessarily."

Hige stuck out his tongue.

I rolled my eyes. "Real mature there."

Blue laughed. "Sounds like a long journey, but it also sounds amazing…"

"You're gonna come with us, right?" Hige asked her hopefully, and I rolled my eyes again.

"It's tempting…But I can't go…"

"Then I'm not going either."

"Fine with us. We don't need you," I told him. I was teasing him, of course…Sort of.

"You probably would be better off if you stayed with the humans," Kiba told Blue, turning around to face us. "It's not too late to go back."

"What the hell are you saying, Kiba!" Hige demanded.

"Well, I had no intention of going back…" Blue said. "I don't think I can go back to the way things were before…I feel like I have to find out what I really am…"

"Then the only thing you do," Kiba said, "is move forward."

"He's right!" Hige exclaimed. "You just gotta move forward!"

"You know, Porky," Tsume said, "I can see right through you."

"Yep. You're not that hard to read, you big furball," I added, climbing down from the railing as Toboe jumped down from it.

"Now if only Cheza were here…" my mate said, almost thoughtfully.

Hige punched him lightly in the head. "I told you not to say that." After pause, he spoke again. "Well, now that that's settled, let's get a move on. Off to Paradi—!" He started to point into the distance, but stopped short in his grand gesture and excited words when Kiba spoke.

"We're going this way," he said, pointing to the west.

"But Paradise isn't over there…" Toboe said.

"Are you…?" I started to ask.

"Darcia's Keep is that way."

I sighed. Of course. He wasn't going to let Cheza go without a fight.

"Kiba, you realize that Cheza left us on her free will, right?" Tsume asked.

"Because she was protecting us. I know she's waiting for us."

"You also know that Noble will be there, too."

"Yeah."

"We might actually die this time."

"If we're meant to, then so be it."

"You'll be on your own when that happens."

"So, we're going to find Cheza?" Toboe asked, the enthusiasm evident in his voice.

"Then let's go!" Hige said.

We started off.

"Hey, where'd Hige go?" I asked, looking back over my shoulder.

"If he's gonna stay behind with that girl, then he can. It's not like I care what the hell he does. Why are you so concerned, kid?" Tsume asked.

"You know what, Tsume? You can shut up."

Not too long after, Hige and Blue caught up with the rest of us, and I felt relief, glad that Hige wasn't abandoning us. It was a little odd, but I felt that we needed Hige to come with us…

* * *

I shivered, tugging on my jacket. "Why does it have to be so damn cold…?"

Toboe glanced at me, and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around me to provide some extra warmth. "How's that, Kegawa?"

"B-better…Th-thanks, T-Toboe…"

"Kiba, shouldn't we find somewhere to rest?" Toboe called ahead. "I think we're all tired, and Kegawa's really cold back here!"

Kiba stopped, and turned to face the rest of us. He didn't say anything. He glanced back over his shoulder, in the direction we were heading. He looked back at our disheveled pack. "Alright," he relented. "Let's try to find some shelter."

As we continued through the pine forest, snow began to fall, and it steadily became colder. I shivered, and pressed against Toboe for warmth, trying my best to not knock him over. I hoped that we would be able to find shelter soon…

"Uh-oh…" Toboe murmured.

"What?" I asked, looking up into his face.

"I think we lost the others…"

I looked over our surroundings, and found that the two of us were alone. I felt a small spark of panic, wildly turning my head this way and that. My birth pack…The human outcasts I had led and cared for…Otousaan and Okaasan…I had already lost them all and I didn't think I could handle that pain a fourth time…

"Let's try to find them," I said, blinding walking forward, keeping my senses alert for any sign of the others.

"Kegawa, wait." Toboe grabbed my arm, gently but firmly. "They'll notice we're missing soon, and then they'll come to look for us. We should just find someplace to wait for them."

"No!" I said, pulling away from his grasp. "I've already lost people I love! I don't want that to happen again! We have to catch up to them now, or we'll lose them!"

"Kegawa, be careful!"

I heard Toboe's words too late. The ground underneath my feet crumbled, and I was falling, rolling down a rocky hillside. I came to a stop, the world spinning and my body aching. I pushed myself up into a sitting position and looked up. Toboe knelt at the edge, looking down at me.

"Kegawa! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Toboe." I tried to get to my feet, but let out a small cry of pain and collapsed again. I looked down to see that my fall had torn through my clothes, and that I had pierced my calf on some sort of sharp rock. After testing my weight, I also discovered that I had most likely twisted my ankle, as well. "Crap…"

"I'll be down as soon as I can!" Toboe called down and ran off to find a safer way down.

I plopped down in the snow with a sigh, scolding myself. Tsume would probably laugh at me for being so clumsy…The thought made me cringe slightly, since I was once a lot like him…I gently rolled up my pant leg and inspected my wound. It wasn't too deep, but it hurt like _hell_. I frowned and pulled the leg down again, scooping up a handful of snow and patting it into place so that it covered the wound. It felt a little bit better…

I turned my head when I heard pebbles clattering against each other, and saw Toboe had made it down the hillside and was running towards me. I felt a smile playing on my lips. He fell to his knees once he reached my side, concern dominating his face.

"Are you okay? Can you stand up?"

"Not very well…But at least I'm still fine…"

He carefully helped me to my feet, and I leaned against him heavily. "We need to find shelter," he said, and gently guided me further into the trees. Thankfully, it wasn't too long before we found a small cave carved into the face of yet another cliff. We entered it, and Toboe helped me sit down, propping me up against the wall. I shivered, pulling my coat tighter around myself and watching my breath come out in pale misty clouds. Toboe sat beside me, again wrapping his arms around me to help provide some extra warmth. I buried my face into the hollow of his neck, and I felt one of his hands running through my hair.

He pulled away and positioned himself beside my injured leg, cradling it in his lap before pulling the pant leg up to reveal the gash. He frowned and bent his head down to lick it. He looked up when he heard my hiss of pain. I bit my lip and shook my head.

"Go ahead," I breathed.

He slowly bent his head again, slowly licking the cut. I felt myself tensing, but soon Toboe had cleaned away the blood, and the wound didn't hurt as much; instead of stinging, there was a gentle throbbing. He leaned back on his haunches, looking over his handiwork. I smiled and reached out a hand to ruffle his auburn hair. He grinned at me.

"Thanks, Toboe…"

"Sure thing, Kegawa," he replied, leaning forward to brush his lips to mine. It felt like a burst of sunlight had touched my frozen body, because Toboe was really warm.

I snuggled close to him, feeling safe and warm. I finally felt like it would be okay to relax a bit…My eyelids drooped, and before I knew it, I was asleep. It seemed all too soon before Hige's voice broke through my sleepy fog.

"Hey, they're over here!"

I opened my eyes, blinking slightly. Hige stood at the entrance of the cave, a relieved grin on his face. Behind him, sunlight was bouncing off the snow, making it very bright.

"There you are," Hige exclaimed. "We were wondering where you two had gone."

I grumbled sleepily, and turned over, pressing against Toboe. He laughed, both in amusement at my actions, and in embarrassment at Hige's comment.

"I don't know what happened…Kegawa and I somehow strayed from the path…"

"Hmph…I knew the runt and the kid would cause trouble for us…"

"Shut up, Tsume!" I called. "I'm not in the mood…"

"Come on, Kegawa," Toboe urged, starting to crawl out of the cave. "We still have a long way to go."

I followed, blinking once I was outside so that I could adjust to the sudden brightness. I looked around, seeing all my pack members surrounding me. I smiled. It felt like home.


	17. The Fallen Keep

Chapter Seventeen: The Fallen Keep

**Disclaimer: 'Wolf's Rain' belongs to BONES.**

I was starting to get sick and tired of snow. The white powder was falling down hard, and a strong wind kept blowing it into our faces. It was hard to keep up, especially when Kiba was plowing forward determinedly. However, I obviously wasn't having as much of a hard time as Toboe and Blue, who were both falling behind, whereas I was slightly behind Tsume.

I looked back at my mate and turned around to be at his side. "Come on," I urged. "You can do it."

"I'm fine…" he panted. "Go on ahead, Kegawa…"

I stayed by his side anyway.

"Kiba!" Hige called.

I looked ahead, squinting my eyes to shield them from the snow. Tsume and Hige had both stopped, but Kiba just kept going. Hige did his best to hurry up to him; once he did, he grasped Kiba's shoulder and forced him to turn around. Blue and Toboe used the opportunity to stop and catch their breath. I hovered over Toboe anxiously.

"Dammit, will you wait up!" Hige panted. "Come on, you're going too fast. Let's take a break!"

"We don't have time for that!" Kiba insisted.

"Will you use your head, for once? We've got a girl and two little kids with us!"

_Little kid? Me? _I thought incredulously.

"I can hear you, you know," Blue stated. "Don't worry about me. I can keep up."

"Yeah, me, too!" Toboe added.

"And in case you didn't notice earlier," I started, "I was _ahead _of you, Hige." I rolled my eyes.

"You realize he's the one that wants to rest, don't you?" Tsume said.

"I do not! I just—"

"But he has a point. Keep this up, and none of us will make it. We can take shelter in those rocks until the storm clears." Tsume indicated said rocks with a slight nod of his head. They were still quite a distance away, but it was better than continuing all the way to the Keep.

"That settles it, then," Hige said, obviously relieved. He turned to us. "Can you hang in there a little longer?"

"Just worry about yourself, alright?" Blue told him.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry."

I couldn't help but laugh then.

"Let's go," Tsume told Kiba.

As we got closer, the "rocks" looked less like rocks and more like some sort of abandoned building. And, lucky for us, a part of the outer wall was missing, and spread around an old room, plopping down on the floor to rest. I huddled next to Toboe. Kiba stood by the opening in the wall, though, looking out into the blizzard.

"The sun'll be up soon. We should rest until then," Tsume said from where he lounged.

"What do you say, Kiba?" Hige asked. "The storm should blow itself over by morning."

"It already has…"

We all seemed surprised, and maybe even a little confused. If anything, the snowstorm seemed _worse_.

"Come on!" Kiba urged. "It'll be fine!"

"But none of us will be!" Tsume growled.

"Do what you want, but I'm leaving!" Kiba said, sounding as if he had finally lost his patience.

Blue got to her feet as she said, "Look, I can handle it."

"Yeah," Toboe agreed, standing up as well. "Let's get going!"

Hige's voice was unusually sharp. "No! I'm not going anywhere 'til morning."

There was a tense pause before Kiba said, "I understand." He jumped out of the room.

"Kiba!" Toboe called.

"Let him go," Hige insisted.

"But why?"

"Right now, the only thing he can see is Cheza. It doesn't make any difference whether we're with him or not."

"We'll follow him when the storm blows over," Tsume said, almost as if he were trying to ease Toboe's worries. "For now, just get some rest and don't worry about it."

Toboe bit his lip, but nodded and returned to my side.

"Hige, are you sure about this?" Blue asked.

"He obsesses too much," Hige replied, scratching the back of his head. "What can you do?"

* * *

The next morning, the blizzard had finally stopped.

"Let's go," Tsume said, leading the way.

Eventually, we came across a huge building, with dark windows and spires and crosses. I shivered, intimidated and a little creeped out. The sky was overcast, but it didn't seem like a storm was coming.

"So, this is the Keep of Darcia…" Tsume mused.

"Place looks like it should be haunted," Hige said, and I nodded in agreement.

"By what?" Toboe asked, glancing at Hige.

"By the ghosts of all the cursed Nobles!"

"Come on! Don't say stuff like that!" my mate whined as Hige laughed.

"But still…Are you sure that girl's inside there?" Blue wondered aloud.

Hige sniffed the air. "The scent is faint, but it's definitely a Lunar Flower…"

We started across a sort of bridge, with Tsume in the lead. Tsume stopped suddenly when he saw a red car parked outside of the doors.

"He's got visitors…"

Blue suddenly gasped and pushed past Tsume and Hige, running to the car. She peered into the windows before, quite literally, dropping down to all fours to sniff the exterior.

"Hey…! Hold on!" Hige called, running towards her. "Blue, what's gotten into you?"

She got to her feet and ran inside of the Keep.

"Come on!" Toboe told Hige as the rest of us ran past him, following Blue.

She was walking fast, turning down corridors at the last minute. We were practically jogging to catch up to her.

"What the hell's got you in such a rush?" Hige demanded.

"It's Pops," she replied, not breaking her stride. "I know he's here…"

"But…Do you really want to see him?" Toboe asked.

Blue suddenly stopped, staring at him. Her expression turned sad, and she looked away. "No…It might be better if I didn't…"

"Maybe the reason he's out here is to find you," Toboe suggested.

"So, what if he is?" Tsume demanded, and we all glanced back to look at him. "Are you going to go back to being that human's _dog_?"

"Hey, lay off!" Hige defended.

"Yeah, Tsume! Be quiet! You don't know what it's like!" Toboe added.

I remained silent.

"Guess I don't. Unlike the two of you, I've never had the pleasure of being kept as a pet." His voice was practically dripping with sarcasm.

"Three," I murmured.

"What was that, kid?"

"I'm correcting you," I said. "I've been kept as a pet, too!" I glared, daring the older wolf to challenge me.

"Now, now," Hige sighed. "Let's go find Kiba and Cheza. We can fight later. The Flower scent's comin' from over there…" He nodded to indicate the direction we needed to go.

We walked down another hallway until we heard a gunshot in the distance. We all turned toward the direction it had come from. Blue ran towards it, and the rest of us followed. We arrived at a large open room. Three humans, including the wolf hunter, stood by a door at one end of the room. At the other end was a human woman, the Noble, and another human woman lying on some sort of bed, looking like she was sleeping. Cheza was on the ground, and an injured Kiba faced the rifle that the wolf hunter had pointed at him.

"No, don't!" Blue cried, jumping in front of Kiba to protect him.

The wolf hunter lowered his gun slightly in surprise. "Blue…"

"Kiba!" Toboe called.

The woman beside the Noble gasped, and I could hear humming noises outside, the sounds of airships.

"My Lord Darcia!"

Lasers suddenly cut throughout the room, explosions sounding out as rubble flew everywhere.

"Cheza!" Kiba ran towards her, but was forced back as a laser separated them.

"Kiba!" Tsume called out.

The floor cracked and surged upward, a large piece practically cutting us off from the other side of the room.

"Cheza!" Kiba sounded desperate.

"Blue, no!" Hige yelled.

"Guys, we need to get out of here!" I said, trying to keep a clear head. I was already tugging on Toboe's arm, running back the way we had come.

Explosions sounded everywhere. The entire Keep was shaking. The others were, thankfully, behind us.

"Kiba!" Hige called, and I stopped and turned around in time to see Kiba run down another corridor.

"What are you doing!" Tsume demanded.

Another explosion went off, smoke filling our vision.

"Kiba!" Tsume shouted.

"Let him go!" I said. "We have to get out before this whole thing collapses on top of us!"

We got out in time to see the entire building engulfed in a white light and explode. The airships flew away. The snow started to fall again as Toboe climbed on top of a large piece of rubble.

"Kiba…! Kiba…! Kiba…! Kiba…!"


	18. Lead Me to Paradise

Chapter Eighteen: Lead Me to Paradise

**Disclaimer: I only own Kegawa.**

**Note: Well, here's my little "recap" chapter, so I'm going to explain Kegawa's backstory…To be honest, I have no idea how to write this chapter, so bear with me…**

I suppose I never thought I would end up on this journey. To be honest, I used to think I'd always stay in the mountains of my homeland. But, of course, that was when I was a pup…

I was born in a mountain-side forest, somewhere in the east, and during a winter when our pack was struggling to find food. Therefore, I was the only survivor out of my littermates. My birth name was Tsuki, a tribute to the beautiful moon that we wolves draw strength and comfort from. My parents always kept up a close relationship with me, teaching me and loving me. I was happy.

When I was twelve years of age, hunters came to the mountain. They were hunting larger game, like the elk, but then they saw some of my friends and me when we were out hunting. When we returned to camp, the hunters followed. They set the camp on fire and started shooting wolves. My parents wanted to protect me; they told me to run. I was too young and too much of a coward, so I did as they told me to do, instead of fighting alongside the others.

I was the only one left.

I'm not really sure what happened, but I suppose the shock of losing my pack made me feel like I had to grow stronger. I acted different, a lot more…harshly then I had before. I suppose you could say I had a "kill-or-be-killed" mindset after that night, and even more so when I realized that humans hated us or feared us.

But when I was fifteen, I came to one of the humans' city-domes, and ran into a group of humans that were living hand-to-mouth. One way or another, they adopted me as their leader, probably because I was, surprisingly, a good one…I came to care for them.

And then I lost them, on one of our raids. One of the humans I had come to trust had sold us all out. Atsushi had betrayed his friends all for a chance to get revenge on me. His only motive, his only reasoning, was because I was a wolf. He tried to kill me. Obviously, he failed, but I lost my memory at the time.

I ran away, and passed out somewhere on the road. An old couple, Tane and Jougen, found me. They knew I was a wolf, but they weren't afraid. On the contrary, they nursed me back to health and cared for me. I didn't want to leave, so they took me in, more like an adopted daughter than a new pet. I came to love them, calling them Okaasan and Otousan, Grandma and Grandpa. Okaasan gave me a silver chain as a choker, and I never take it off. They gave me the name Kegawa, which I've kept to this day.

I lost them, too. I was out, running as I loved to do. And when I came back…The house had been burned down, and Okaasan and Otousan were inside. I guess the shock was enough to stimulate my memory, because it flooded back to me when I saw the damage. Without anywhere else to go, I ran off, a wanderer, a vagabond.

That was when I came to the city-dome called Freeze City. Now that I think back on it, I was probably drawn to the scent of Lunar Flowers, but at the time, I was just glad to find a place to rest and lay low for a while.

Living there was tough, because it was the first time I was trying to survive all on my own. It didn't help that Freeze City was so run-down, making it hard to find food. But I managed it somehow, and I was there for a while, a lot longer than the other places I had rested at. And that's when I met the others.

When I first met Kiba, it was strong and determined, so much like an Alpha male. He had a lot of pride in what he was, hating it when the rest of us preferred our human glamours to our true wolf forms. He wasn't ashamed of what he was, and he was the most dedicated of all of us about finding Cheza and, in turn, finding Paradise. I really don't know what's driving him, but his dedication led to the fact that, right now, he's been separated from our pack.

And then there's Hige. At first, he came off as…annoying. He's too concerned with food and girls. Because of the latter, he was always flirting with me at the beginning of our journey, probably since I was the only female in the pack, and was always hoping I would return his feelings. But once he finally accepted the fact that I liked Toboe more, he grudgingly agreed that we could at least be friends. However, we have a weird sort of friendship, not like the ones I used to have with my packmates. I guess you could say he acts a little like a big brother, and I tolerate his teasing. And he obviously got over me once he met Blue.

And speaking of Blue, she also got separated from us when Darcia's Keep blew up. But during the time she was with us, I liked her. Since she was also a female, it was nice to talk to her, since it was a relief to take a break from the guys. She was nice, and surprisingly strong and independent for someone that had been with humans for her entire life.

Tsume. Out of everyone, he's the one that I still can't figure out. With his tough-guy attitude, he reminds me of myself when I was taking charge of that human "pack", and the scary part is, he did the same thing in Freeze City. Looking back at my brief time of leadership, I've even realized that Tsume and I dressed alike, and have a similar thirst for danger, for action. He constantly picks on Toboe, and I'm always having to defend him. However, I suppose I also see my father in Tsume; a very hard exterior that, once broken, reveals a warm, caring, and protective person. However, that warm interior only has brief appearances, maybe because Tsume doesn't want to appear weak. He may not show it, but he really cares for Toboe…and me.

Last, but certainly not least, there's Toboe. He's the same age as me, but we couldn't be more different. He's sweet and innocent and naïve, whereas I've seen so much sorrow and lost so much that it's forced me to grow up sooner than I should. But because of that difference, I feel so comforted by his presence and, at the same time, feel the need to protect him. I came to realize that I _loved _Toboe, and once I finally had the courage to admit it, we became mates.

Now, even after everything I've lost, I still have friends, I still know what love is. The only thing that remains is finding those we've been separated from and continue our journey. Lead me to Paradise.


End file.
